Do You See What I See?
by Em Pataki
Summary: Arnold and Helga are starting their senior year of high school. Arnold is finally making Helga admit her true feelings for him. Can Helga learn to deal with Arnold's desire for an open-minded relationship? MY FIRST FANFICTION PLEASE REVIEW! FLUFF. LEMON.
1. Chapter 1

**I've made a recent discovery with this story. Each chapter is supposed to be one day of the week. An extra day got squeezed in the first week however. You'll have to view Chapter 1 as Monday and Chapter 6 as Friday.**

 **Also, I haven't received many reviews on this story. I uploaded it quickly, rather than waiting day by day to do it. I see several people read it on my profile, but no one feels the need to review.**

 **I would love to hear more opinions about this story.**

 **Also, it's been pointed out to me that it's 'Criminy' not 'Crimity' already, so no need to mention that lol.**

 **Thank you all for reading my stories. I hope you enjoy them :)**

Chapter 1: Let's Get Something Straight

Helga got up one morning for school, thinking about how much had changed between her and Arnold since their trip to San Lorenzo. Ever since that moment Arnold confessed he had found himself to have feelings for her as well, they had been spending more time together, but weren't officially in a relationship.

That morning was the first day of their senior year of high school. Their last three years of grade school together, Arnold held doors for Helga, bought her lunch, sat beside her on the bus, walked with her to school, and every other possible loving gesture he could think of. While Helga was in heaven through it all, she couldn't let go of her reputation. Although nearly every kid in their class had noticed Arnold and Helga's 'friendly' behavior, she couldn't give in to the idea of letting the class think she had gone soft. Arnold, being the patient person that he was, let her express her feelings towards him in her usual negative behavior all the way up through their junior year.

After she got dressed, Helga headed downstairs to find her mom passed out at the counter.

"Mom...Mom...MIRIAM!" She screamed. "Oh, I'm awake honey," her mom said, eyes half opened. "Mom, it's my first day of twelfth grade, and I can't find the notebooks I bought for my classes?!" Helga scowled. "Ohh, I remember seeing them last night sweetie. Ummm let's see?" Miriam began searching the house, as Helga rolled her eyes.

Bob came downstairs as the two continued searching. "Well, I'm off to work Miriam! Let me just grab my things." Helga stopped Bob before he could make it out the door, "What are those in your hand?" Helga asked irritably. "Oh, I wrote down my plans for the new cell phone commercial when the store re-opens. Now that people aren't as interested in beepers, I spent the night writing up ideas on how to advertise our new electronic devices." Bob said proudly. "I needed those notebooks for school today!" Helga responded angrily. "Oh, sorry Olga… gotta go Miriam."

Helga left the house frustrated as usual with her home life. Grade school with her family was hardly tolerable, and it didn't look as though high school would end any differently. Phoebe was waiting at the corner near the bus stop for Helga. "Good morning, Helga. Excited about the first day of our senior year?" asked Phoebe.

"Well, I'm going to be walking in there with no notebooks to write down any information we're given on, so no." said Helga angrily. Phoebe then gave Helga some paper as they entered the bus, and Helga's mind was at peace… for a moment.

At the back of the bus, Helga saw Arnold sitting with Gerald. When Phoebe saw Helga hesitate to sit, she knew something had to have happened between the two. She and helga took a seat towards the front, as Helga crouched down low in the seat. Phoebe whispered to Helga, "Is everything okay?" Helga, not sitting up, whispered back, "I don't want him to see me." Phoebe asked confusingly, "I thought things were going well between you two?" Helga sat quietly for a moment, until she said, "I think I might have ruined things."

Phoebe continued to listen as Helga went on. "After all that time we spent together, I still wouldn't let him say we were 'in a relationship.' At first I thought he just kissed me in San Lorenzo out of gratitude, so I didn't get my hopes up. Then, when it was our first day back at school after that, he tried to hold my hand. That's when I knew it was more than a thank you. I couldn't get over my insecurities however, and refused to let him do it. Ever since then, I've let him spend time with me, but not enough to let people know how we feel about each other. Now here it is the first day of our senior year, and I'm worried he may have lost interest. I'm worried I kept things too level between us, and he is ready to move on."

Phoebe responded empathetically, "Well, is that what 'you' want; to just be friends with him? You've claimed to love him for years Helga, but when he finally reciprocated those feelings, you weren't willing to show your passionate side."

Helga sighed, "I never wanted to be that way around him Pheebs. I just couldn't let go of my rough side."

"Well, if you want to make sure you don't lose him, you may have to."

The bus then stopped in front of H.S. 118. All the kids got off, except Helga. She sat, waiting for Arnold to pass her, hoping to get the strength to stop him. As she reached out to stop Arnold, the driver turned and noticed her. He yelled, "Everyone off the bus!" She then got up, and headed for class.

All through her classes, Helga worried Arnold had lost interest in her, and that she was probably the last thing on his mind. In her poetry class Helga listened to her teacher tell the class how the most inspirational poems come straight from something the writer is passionate about. This made Helga think about all the poems she had written back in grade school. All the notebooks she had filled with poems about Arnold, after sitting in class, staring at his football shaped head all day. The fake school books she created with sculptures of him inside. Her daydream was then interrupted by the bell.

As Helga met Phoebe in the hall, the two of them headed to the cafeteria for lunch. "So," said Phoebe, "how are you enjoying your classes Helga?" "I've yet to be amused," said Helga sarcastically. Then, she spotted Arnold and Gerald sitting together. As Helga sat, Phoebe noticed Helga unable to take her eyes off of Arnold. "Perhaps this is the moment to take the opportunity to go and tell him how you feel?" asked Phoebe.

"Are you kidding?! Not with Geraldo, and the rest of this public affiliation!" scowled Helga. Phoebe sighed, as the two of them ate their lunches. Then, Helga noticed another girl approaching Arnold. Her eyes widened, as she said to Phoebe, "I'll be back Pheebs, I'm going to go clear my tray."

As Helga stood behind the trash can, she heard Arnold talking to the new girl who had approached him. "Hi, my name's Amanda. Do you remember what our English assignment was?"

Helga did not take her eyes off the two of them, as Arnold replied, "Oh yeah, we are supposed to read and answer the review questions at the end of chapter one." "Thank you just ever so much," Amanda replied.

As Amanda walked away, Gerald shook his head and asked, "Remind you of anyone we know?". "She does seem a lot like Lila," Arnold admitted. "Speaking of familiar characters, what's up with you and Helga G. Pataki? No one's been able to figure out if you two are friends, dating, in a semi-abusive relationship or what?" Gerald insisted on knowing.

Helga's eyes widened as much as they could, as she heard Arnold say, "I don't know to be honest. I thought she loved me, and after she helped me find my parents, it made me think about the feelings I have for her. Then when we got the chance to show each other how we both felt, she didn't seem as interested."

"Mmm, mmm, mmm, well she has always been a complex character. One minute she was offering to help you win the trip to San Lorenzo, the next she was repulsed by the idea of you touching her there?!" Gerald said confusingly.

"I know, but I don't think she's ever as angry as she appears to be. I think she's just trying to cover up her own insecurities. From what I've learned these past few years, she does have a pretty tough home life." Arnold said sympathetically.

Helga tried holding back tears of regret as she thought about the way she had let her reputation take control of her and caused her to treat Arnold.

"So, what are you going to do my friend?" asked Gerald curiously.

"I guess I'll just have to talk to her after school; find out how she really feels about us. Only this time, I won't be so lenient about her aggressive behavior." said Arnold.

Helga ran off as she saw Arnold approaching the trash can. As she scattered, she thought to herself, " _Okay, if I truly want to be with Arnold, I have to let go of my reputation. I'll see him after school and prove my feelings for him."_

Once classes were over, Helga waited by her locker for Arnold to pass. Phoebe saw her looking anxious, knowing what she must be waiting to do. "Good luck Helga," Phoebe whispered. It was then Arnold passed. Helga followed, but when she made it outside, he was nowhere in sight. Helga's head lowered to the ground, thinking about how she had blown her chance to make things right. Then, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around, and there was Arnold.

"Arnold! I mean, don't creep up on me like that football head!" she exclaimed. "Sorry Helga," Arnold grinned, "do you want to go for a walk?" he asked. Helga paused a moment, thinking about how he may be ready to end things between them. "Uhh sure." she said.

"So, how were your classes," asked Arnold. "No more exciting than last year." Helga said, wishing he would just get to the point.

"It's too bad we don't have any together, huh?" Arnold said, hoping her response would imply how she felt about him. "Yeah, I guess it is." Helga said, unsure of whether his feelings for her were now just platonic.

"Would you like to come back to my place for awhile? We haven't really had a chance to talk about 'us' these past few months." said Arnold nervously. Helga was both relieved and petrified. She was finally getting the chance to tell Arnold how much he meant to her, but he might not feel the same way. It was like grade school all over again. "Sounds good." she said.

They arrived at Arnold's place, and as usual, couldn't open the door without twenty pets passing them. "Sheesh Arnoldo! Where do all these lame animals come from?!" exclaimed Helga. "Well, most of the borders have their own pets, the rest just sort of invited themselves to live here." said Arnold embarrassingly. "Oh brother." Helga said, while thinking to herself, _you're blowing your chance to prove you have a soft side!_

"Hey grandpa!" Arnold waved at Phil as the two passed by the kitchen. "Hey shortman! Hey shortman's girlfriend!" Both Arnold and Helga blushed. "So, you two hanging out tonight?" asked Phil. "Uhh, yea. We'll be upstairs." said Arnold. "Alright, have fun!" said Phil.

As Arnold took Helga up to his room, she thought the whole way to herself, _okay, no matter what happens, do NOT get angry!_ Arnold opened the door, and brought Helga inside. Even before he found out her feelings for him, she had seen it several times before.

 _Stealing back her pink book of poems Arnold had found on the bus; stealing back Bob's parrot that memorized Helga's loving poem about Arnold; stealing back her recorded cassette on which she confessed her love to him..._

She made herself comfortable on his bed and asked, "So football head, what did you want to talk about?"

She waited nervously for Arnold to answer, knowing she had already made a mistake with her insulting name for him. "Well Helga," Arnold said softly, "I wanted to find out how you really feel about me?"

Helga tugged at her shirt, as she asked, "What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about how for the past seven or eight years now, we've known about the feelings we claim to have for each other, but are too scared to act on them." Arnold replied.

"Scared? I'm not scared of anything Arnoldo!" Helga wanted desperately to tell Arnold all she ever wanted was to be near him. While she was brave enough to face the troubles of tearing down the neighborhood, and the dangers of San Lorenzo, she wasn't brave enough to face her own true feelings.

"Helga, you kissed me in grade school. You let me kiss you. You let me do practically everything a boyfriend does for a girlfriend for you. You just wouldn't let me say we were boyfriend and girlfriend. We're nearly through with high school now. I have to know, are you or are you not my girlfriend?" Arnold insisted on knowing.

Helga sat on the bed, staring at the floor. If she didn't give up her foolish pride, she would lose Arnold forever. Every moment of her life she had dedicated to dreaming of a life with him would be wasted if she wasn't willing to give in to her emotions that he obviously already knew about.

Arnold walked closer as he said, "If you have to think that hard about it, I must not be. So I gue…" Before he could finish, Helga pulled him close to kiss him. Arnold tried to pull away to finish what he was saying. Instead, Helga pulled Arnold onto the bed and wouldn't let go. Arnold was then reminded of the dominant personality Helga possessed. While it was an excuse for her behavior, it wasn't a solution to their problem.

Arnold pulled off Helga's shirt. Rather than wearing her pink dress and white turtleneck, she now wore a pink silk shirt and jeans. She let out a love sick grin followed by a familiar phrase, "Hey! Who said you could touch me?!" scowled Helga. Arnold sighed as he looked at Helga laying there. He pulled her up and took the bow off her head. Her hair fell down the side of her face. As the two remained silent, Arnold took the bow and tied Helga's hands behind her back. "Is that too tight?" he asked.

Helga looked at him confused, as she responded, "No, but what are you doing?"

"Helga, I think the problem between us is your insecurity. The thought of rejection terrifies you, so you feel the need to reject others before they have the chance to do it to you." Arnold said.

"Okayyy, whether or not that's true, what does that have to do with you tying me up like this, football head?!" she scowled.

"We spent a lot of time together, but we never actually talked about our feelings for each other. I think because you were afraid for us to get too close to each other. Now we can talk without you being able to run away from your emotions." said Arnold happily.

"You have got to be kidding me!" Helga scowled. Arnold kissed her passionately, as she laid there feeling vulnerable. He took off his shirt and asked her, "What is it that makes you feel the need to act so aggressive?"

Helga sighed as she said, "Arnold, I've told you how angry my family makes me." As Helga began to turn away from him, he faced her towards him to kiss her again as he said, "That can't be your only reason for acting as angrily as you do?"

"If I tell you why, you better untie me!" she scowled. "We'll see." Arnold smiled. Helga rolled her eyes as she began to remind Arnold of their first day of preschool. She reminded him of how sweet he was to her; sharing his umbrella, complimenting her outfit, sharing his graham crackers, etc. When he did all that, the other kids noticed how flattered she was, and began to make fun of her. It was then she knew, she couldn't let anyone know there was a soft side to her (especially not around Arnold).

After telling Arnold this, he kissed her again and said, "You didn't have to hide your feelings from me. No one else's opinion but mine mattered." Helga jumped in and said, "That's it though! I didn't know what your opinion of me was. You could have made fun of me, just like the rest of the kids!" exclaimed Helga.

Arnold took off her pants as he said, "I don't think I would have been brave enough to make fun of you. If I'm remembering that day correctly, I would have had to answer to 'old betsy' and 'the five avengers.'" Helga blushed as she tried to keep herself from smiling.

Arnold began kissing Helga again, as she laid there thinking to herself. _I've never felt so powerless, but at least he still has feelings for me._

As Arnold reached behind her back to unhook her strapless bra, something fell out of it. "You still have this?" he said curiously. It was Helga's locket with Arnold's picture inside. "What's it look like football head?" she said while blushing. Arnold smiled at the locket, as he said to her, "I remember when my grandpa found this, thinking it was a gift from my grandma. We never could get it open." Then, as Arnold sat there fidgeting with the clasp, the locket opened.

"Hey! It opened!" Arnold exclaimed. " _Oh no, this is it!"_ thought Helga. She turned away, as Arnold read the inscription inside the locket. "Arnold my love, you are always in my heart, love Helga G. Pataki!"

Arnold paused for a moment, then said, "I guess this means everything you said to me that night really was true." "Night? What night?" said Helga.

"The night you confessed your feelings to me on the roof of the FTi building?" Arnold reminded her. Helga laid there embarrassed. She couldn't believe how defenseless she felt. Finally, she said, "I thought we agreed that was just me getting caught up in the heat of the moment?"

"Well, was it?" Arnold asked anxiously. "Come on Arnold, just untie me. I think enough emotions have been revealed for one night." Helga said sadly.

"Helga we need to settle this once and for all. Being in a relationship means not being afraid to be honest with one another, which you clearly are." Arnold pointed out.

Helga turned to look at him as her eyes began to water. "Fine, I admit it. I've loved you my whole life. You can't blame me for hiding my feelings however. The few times I did confront you about them, you came up with a lame excuse to forget it ever happened!" Helga exclaimed, as Arnold stared at her quietly.

"You're right, I wasn't ready to hear it. The news was just such a shock. When we both knew the truth however, that was your chance to let go of your insecurity, and our chance to start over." Arnold said softly. Helga looked at him full of regret for the way she had acted all those years. As she began to apologize, Arnold put his hands on her breasts. Finally, instead of having his picture up against them, she had him. He leaned in and kissed her, as she laid there thinking. While the vulnerability that was being forced upon her was embarrassing, it was a relief to finally be able to be open and honest with Arnold.

They smiled at each other, as Arnold said, "So you were pretty obsessed with me, huh?"

Helga glared at him, as she said, "You know, you're going to have to untie me at some point."

Arnold continued smiling as he responded, "I just think it's sweet."

"That I was obsessed with you?" Helga questioned.

"That you were as creative as you were about it." said Arnold.

Helga gave him a questioning look as she asked, "What do you mean?"

"Well looking back," Arnold began, "You said on FTi, you'd been stalking me, writing poems about me, and building shrines in your closet to me."

Helga blushed heavily, not believing he had remembered all of that. "Oh, you didn't really take all that seriously did you, football head?!" she said nervously.

"Helga, we're sitting here being open with each other; you might as well be honest with me about that too." Arnold insisted.

"You're being open, I'm being held captive!" Helga pointed out.

After a moment of silence, Helga saw it was her chance to take back her anger and overcome her insecurities.

"If you must know however, yes, it was all true." she said hesitantly.

Arnold let out a huge smile. It was wonderful seeing her finally open up to him. "I'm assuming that's where all the footage for the San Lorenzo video came from… you stalking me over the years?" Arnold laughed.

Helga struggled to let loose. Being open with him was one thing, having all her secrets revealed at once, was so overwhelming. "Okay, you got me. We can forget about it now." She insisted.

"I don't want to forget about it Helga. You're the whole reason I found my parents. You and your dominant yet passionate personality are the reason we've accomplished so much together." said Arnold.

Helga laid there unresponsive, feeling more and more defeated with every secret that was revealed.

"I've yet to see that exclusively high numbered volume of books you wrote about me," Arnold started, "but I'm assuming every time Mr. Simmons read an 'anonymous' poem in the classroom, it was by you, about me?"

Arnold turned Helga's face towards his, as she remained quiet. He gave her a long, passionate kiss. "I thought they were beautiful; almost as beautiful as the person who wrote them." He said.

Helga smiled a moment, forgetting she was tied up. She and Arnold looked into each other's eyes, knowing they were meant for each other. He held her breasts as he kissed her deeply, happy he was finally able to see this side of her. The side he knew she possessed, but was never brave enough to show.

As Arnold released his lips, he kept his head against Helga's. "You know what I have to ask about next right?" Arnold asked with a slight grin. Helga's eyes widened, as she started to pull away.

Arnold stopped her, as he kissed her again and said, "You've told me almost everything, don't be embarrassed now." Helga sighed and said, "Every week or so, I'd find a new way to create a figure of you to keep in my closet."

Arnold let out a small laugh, as he said, "Tell me all about it." Helga rolled her eyes, as she said, "Oh shut up Arnoldo," insisting they had shared enough information.

Arnold smiled as he looked at her and said, "I'm sorry you felt vulnerable sharing information with me, but it was the only way to make our 'relationship' work. We couldn't continue not seeing other people, while pretending to not be with each other. We had to decide how much we meant to each other, and you clearly couldn't share your feelings on your own."

Helga sighed and said, "Alright, you win. Starting tomorrow I won't be afraid to let everyone know we're in a relationship." Arnold grabbed Helga's shoulders to sit her up. As he reached to untie the bow, she grabbed his hand to stop him. "Arnold wait…"

"What is it?" he asked. Helga looked down ashamed as she said to him, "I don't hate being open with you, I'm just used to being in charge of things. My family's always ignored me, I've never cared to be like the other girls at school. I couldn't let anyone know their opinions of me mattered. Imagine how I would have felt if I did, and then you rejected me on top of all that?!" she exclaimed.

Arnold smiled at her honesty, then finished undressing himself as he walked over to his desk. "My grandpa is so goofy. Look what he gave me, for my birthday last year." Helga looked up to find Arnold holding a box of condoms. "I guess he knew what he was doing." said Arnold.

"It's only if you want to Helga." Arnold asked questionably. "When you grabbed and started kissing me, I knew you weren't afraid to show your physical feelings. I don't want to however, if you still can't show me your emotional feelings."

Helga smiled and said, "I'm 'emotionally' ready when you are."

Arnold got ready; as he laid on top of Helga kissing her, he thought about how he never would have guessed she would turn out to be the girl he fell in love with. He thought about the negative attention she gave him when they were kids, and while it was negative, it was more attention than any other girl had ever paid towards him.

Helga laid there amazed at what was happening. All her life, she had waited for this moment. It turned out to be better than she imagined, because she was able to open up to him emotionally. Finally, they had no secrets from each other, and were going to be a real couple. She no longer had to worry about the idea of someone stealing him, or keep hiding her sensitive side, because he at last knew about it.

Arnold began to rub her breasts, as he continued kissing her. He thought about how strange it was that 'he' was finally the dominant one. After realizing that, he put his right arm behind her head to kiss her harder, and the other around her waist to pull her closer.

Helga laid there thinking about how strange it was that her dream was coming true, but her aggressive side couldn't be shown. In her fantasies about being with Arnold, he was the one who needed her. Now she was the one tied up, and he was doing all the work. It was something she would have to get used to; not always being in charge of things.

When he finally released their lips, Arnold looked at Helga a moment, then asked, "Are you ready?" Helga smiled at him, and nodded her head. At that moment, it didn't matter to her who was in charge.

Arnold took her legs to spread them. She laid there thinking about how different things would be between them the next day. Then her thoughts were interrupted by a slight sting.

Before she had time to let out a response, Arnold grabbed her head to kiss her. His tongue was as far inside her as his member was. He laid on top of her, thinking to himself, _even though it's nice to be in charge for once, her dominance is one of the things I love most about her._

Helga wrapped her legs around Arnold, pulling him tight as she could. He put his arms around her waist, and pulled her in closer. They were almost out of breath, but couldn't let go of each other.

Helga finally gave into the idea of being vulnerable, as she took her legs off Arnold. When they released their lips, Arnold wrapped his arms under Helga's, and pulled her chest up against his. He laid on top of her, as she sat her head on his.

When the two caught their breath, Arnold looked at Helga and said, "I love you, and don't want you to be afraid of what anyone thinks of us."

Helga smiled as she responded, "I do have to admit, it was nice not having to be the one to give orders for once."

Arnold laughed, as he untied her. She responded, "It's about time, football head!"

He smiled and said, "We'll work on that next."

"One step at a time, Arnoldo!" said Helga.

Despite how neglectful Helga's family was towards her, she knew they must be wondering where she was by that point. The two of them started to get dressed, and saw each other through new eyes. Arnold kissed Helga goodbye before she could leave his room, as she said to him, "Thank you for loving me as much as you do. I'm sorry I wasn't willing to open up to you before."

Arnold smiled at her, as he replied, "I'm just happy we're finally together."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: This Is All New To Me

The next day, Helga woke up anxious to know what her first day in an open relationship would be like. She was in too big a hurry to care that her mom as usual, forgot to go shopping, so she could make her lunch.

Helga made it out the door and to the bus stop corner, to see Phoebe waiting for her. When Helga made it to her, Phoebe asked, "Did you and Arnold work things out, Helga?" Helga blushed, as she said to Phoebe, "Yeah, I have a feeling things are going to be fine now."

It was then that Arnold and Gerald approached the corner. Arnold hadn't told Gerald about his night with Helga yet. When they reached the corner, Gerald took Phoebe's hand to lead her onto the bus, as Arnold stood by Helga. He could see she was nervous as he reached for her hand, but she kept her promise. The two of them then entered the bus together.

Helga felt her body shaking, as well as her skin turning pale, while every kid on the bus stared at her and Arnold holding hands. Gerald (while sitting with Phoebe) said, "Mmm, mmm, mmm…. I never thought I'd see the day!" Phoebe just smiled, as Helga tried to smile back at her.

She and Arnold took a seat near the front. Helga felt a huge burden of relief had been lifted, just by sitting down, and given the excuse to let go of each other's hands. Arnold saw the tension in her shoulders and asked, "Is everything okay?"

Helga sighed and said, "This is all new to me football head; I mean you saw the way they were looking at us?! We've been touchy feely in public before, but it's always ended with me yelling at you! Now they know something's up."

Arnold put his hand on her shoulder, as they heard Harold begin to sing, "Helga and Arnold sittin' in a tree!"

As Arnold noticed Helga raising her fist and rising from her seat, he said, "Let me take care of this."

Helga crouched down in the seat, hating she had someone to fight her battles for her, as Arnold went over to approach Harold. "Harold," Arnold began "was that really necessary? We're not in grade school anymore, and Helga and I are happy together. Therefore, we'd appreciate it if you'd mind your own business."

Harold was too embarrassed to respond, as Arnold headed back to the front of the bus. Gerald told Phoebe Arnold had said yesterday he was going to take care of things. He didn't expect this to be the outcome however. Although Phoebe was happy for Helga, she was a bit shocked herself, knowing what a hard time Helga had letting go of her reputation.

Arnold made it back to the seat to see Helga with her arms crossed, staring out the window. He put his arm around her and said, "I promise, everything will be okay." Helga set her hand in his lap, and began to massage his leg, after not being able to respond.

The bus finally made it to H.S. 118. Although they were sitting near the front, Arnold could see Helga wanted to wait to get off. Everyone passed by them as if nothing new had happened. When they were the last two remaining, Helga got up, and once again, let Arnold hold her hand. They weren't just holding hands on the bus now. They were in front of the entire school. She went from shaking while feeling light headed to hearing her heart pound with sweat falling down her face.

Arnold walked with a smile on his face. He had never been the insecure type, or one to hold a grudge against someone. Therefore, this type of behavior did not come across as strange for him. As Helga walked with him, she felt emotionally naked. For the past few years, she had implied she no longer hated Arnold. She never did anything to confirm she had feelings for him however. Now here they were, walking hand in hand, all secrets revealed.

They finally made it inside, and Helga had never been so relieved at the idea of going to class before. Although no one in the hall paid them any special attention, holding Arnold's hand all the way to class made her feel as vulnerable as she felt the night before.

When Arnold continued to notice how uncomfortable Helga was, he let her go. She ran into her poetry class, too nervous to tell him goodbye. Arnold sighed, as he left for his English class, hoping the rest of the day would go better.

While sitting in her poetry class, Helga felt all sorts of mixed feelings. She felt vulnerable for giving up her reputation. First on the bus, then in front of the entire school. She felt angry for giving into the idea of doing it. Most of all, she felt guilty. Guilty for acting ashamed to be seen with Arnold. Hard as she tried, she couldn't reach deep down inside and find her feminine side. The side that would love to be given flowers, taken to dinner, or have a guy show any type of romantic gesture towards her in public.

As Arnold walked to English, he passed Gerald in the hallway. "Well Arnold, that was quite a scenario you and Helga set up for everyone on the bus this morning!" Gerald said.

"Yeah, but I don't think she was too comfortable with it." Arnold said regrettably.

"I thought you were going to set things straight between the two of you?" Gerald said confusingly.

"I did, and we both agreed we want to be together. She's still having a difficult time showing it, though. I guess sitting next to me, letting me talk to Harold for her, and holding my hand as long as she did was a huge step for her though." Arnold admitted.

"One step at a time I guess. You'll be taking plenty of them with her." said Gerald.

In Helga's poetry class, her teacher had chosen their first writing assignment. They were to pick one quality they would like to change about themselves, and write a poem about it. Helga already knew what needed to be changed about herself. Was she brave enough to write about it however?

Once class was over, everyone headed for the cafeteria. Arnold and Gerald met were in the hall, talking about how happy they were that neither of their teachers had assigned them homework. When they made it to the cafeteria, Arnold saw Helga sitting alone. Gerald knew Arnold wanted to sit with her, after hearing about their plans to act like a real couple.

"Go for it buddy." Gerald encouraged him.

"Thanks Gerald." Arnold said, as the two did their secret handshake.

Gerald saw Phoebe standing in the lunchline, and went to talk to her, while Arnold approached Helga.

Helga was working on her poem when Arnold came up to the table. "Mind if I sit with you?" Arnold said from behind her. Helga jumped, not expecting anyone to approach her, while working on her poem. When she saw it was Arnold, she quickly put it away, as she responded, "Sure footbaa… I mean, sure."

Arnold laughed and smiled at the effort she was putting into making things work. "So how have your classes been?" Arnold asked curiously.

"Not too bad. I've got to write some poem that's due at the end of the week. Aside from that, nothing big. What about you? How's class with that Amanda girl?" asked Helga, trying to keep calm.

Arnold gave a surprising look, as he asked, "How do you know who's in my class?".

Helga's heart stopped; she realized Arnold hadn't seen her spying on the two of them. "Oh, just a guess. After all, this is a huge school, there's got to be at least a few girls with that name, am I right?" she asked nervously.

Arnold laid his hand on hers, smiled and said, "Is there something you'd like to tell me?"

Helga was trapped. Arnold now knew about her stalking him, all she could do was admit to listening to his conversation with Amanda. It was so embarrassing to her, but what could she do? He wanted an honest, open relationship.

"Alright," Helga sighed, "when I saw her talking to you, I hid behind that trash can to listen to your conversation with Lila II".

There was an awkward silence. Helga thought Arnold was judging her, but he had just noticed a sheet of paper sticking out of her backpack.

As he grabbed it, Helga snarled, "Hey, who said…" but stopped herself before she could finish.

 _Incapable of sharing feelings._

 _Not showing signs of emotional healings_

 _Vivacios; that's not me_

 _Unable to open up emotionally_

 _Less Likely to Lose Control_

 _Not willing to show my inner soul._

 _Eager to be on top on things._

 _Restless over-bearings._

 _Always has to have first say._

 _Best when things go my way._

 _Lose is not in my vocabulary._

 _Everyone's defeat is my victory._

"Is this about what happened last night?" Arnold asked. Helga took back the paper, frustrated as she explained, "We are supposed to write a poem about one characteristic we would change about ourselves. I think we figured out last night, I don't give into things easily."

Arnold looked into her shameful eyes as he said, "Although your insecurities need some attention, I believe your dominant behavior is one of your most admirable qualities."

Helga looked at Arnold confused, based on what happened the previous night.

"I love how brave you are, I just wish the idea of being in a relationship didn't make you think any less of yourself." said Arnold.

Helga nodded as Arnold set his hand on hers. Before she could say anything, the bell rang. Arnold kissed her, not caring how insecure it may have made her feel. "I'll meet you outside after school," he said.

Gerald and Phoebe had been watching the two of them from across the room. "I never thought I'd see the day, Helga G. Pataki let Arnold take charge of things." Gerald said, shaking his head at the situation. "I believe the purpose of Helga's new behavior isn't to give up power, but rather to possess a better understanding of what it means to be in a relationship." Phoebe explained.

When the two of them saw Arnold leave the table, Gerald went to catch up with Arnold. "Smooth move, Arnold," Gerald complimented him. "Thanks, I think she's starting to open up more to me," said Arnold. "What makes you so sure?" Gerald asked suspiciously. Arnold then began to tell Gerald about the poem Helga had written, and knew he would have no choice but to tell him about the night before.

"Gerald, I got Helga to open up to me, but it wasn't easy." Arnold said softly. "Let me guess, you decided to give her a taste of her own medicine, and threatened 'her' with old betsy!" Gerald said jokingly.

"Well, you're not 'entirely' wrong…" Arnold said staring at the floor, as Gerald lifted an eyebrow.

"You see, I invited her back to my house to talk about our feelings for each other. When she wasn't able to answer my question about how she felt about me, she started kissing me."

"Well, there's your answer I guess, buddy." said Gerald.

"There's more. When it looked like she wanted to be intimate, I pulled off her shirt. Her insecurities took over as usual though; she yelled at me for touching her." sighed Arnold.

"And that surprises you?" said Gerald questionably.

"I was sick of the act she was putting on, so I sort of tied her up and made her talk to me. She wasn't too happy with me, but I finally got her to be honest about how she feels about me." Arnold said, trying to look on the bright side.

"And all it took was tying her up?" Gerald said sarcastically.

"She felt pretty vulnerable, which is understandable. I admit I might have taken things too far, but how else was I supposed to get her to talk to me? Every time she notices herself opening up, she's too afraid to risk any sign of weakness." Arnold said feeling conflicted.

"What do you mean by, 'you took things too far'? Gerald asked, ignoring Arnold's conflicted emotions.

"Well, since she started to get undressed before I tied her up, I decided to keep going after tying her up. Until finally… we did it." Arnold gulped.

Gerald's jaw dropped.

"Mmm, mmm, mmm. Arnold, last night when you two were getting all 'touchy feely' did you stop to say to yourself… 'Okay, I'm going to walk the earth for the rest of my life saying I lost my virginity to Helga G. Pataki.'?" Gerald asked anxiously.

Arnold rolled his eyes, knowing he was the only one from their grade school class who would ever see the sensitive side of Helga.

Back in the cafeteria, Helga sat there a moment blushing after Arnold had kissed her. Although no one in the cafeteria seemed to care about what had just happened, she could feel her head spinning. All her life she wanted to be with Arnold, but was it worth feeling this way? Would she eventually like the idea of letting him do things for her, or was she always going to crave feeling as though she was in control of everything.

As she sat there pondering the idea, Phoebe came over. "Hello Helga, how was lunch with Arnold?" Phoebe asked curiously.

"Oh hey Pheebs, let's go to class," Helga said, trying to change the subject.

"It looks as though you two are an official couple now," said Phoebe questionably.

Helga sighed, as she responded, "We said we are, and I really am trying to show it. This vulnerability crap just isn't my thing. I like being in charge. I don't like sharing my feelings. I care what people think of me, but I don't like letting them know it."

"Perhaps you just need to give it some time." Phoebe suggested

Helga spent the rest of the afternoon thinking about her aggressive behavior. What did she have to gain from it? No one in her family noticed her, no matter how she acted. Arnold knew her secrets; she had nothing left to hide. There was no one in particular she was trying to impress, so why did the rest of the school's opinion of her matter?

At the front of her class, Helga saw a couple sitting together. They were talking about the special evening they had planned together, not caring about who heard them. Then the girl dropped her pencil on the floor. Before she could bend down to reach it, her boyfriend picked it up for her and said, "Let me go sharpen this for you."

Helga sat thinking about how she would never let Arnold do something like that for her. She would never do anything to make herself appear helpless. Then she realized, that was probably how she had made Arnold feel, even before they were together. She always gave him orders, yelled at him for doing nice things, and waved off any chance she had to get closer with him.

When the bell rang, Helga met Phoebe at their lockers. Phoebe saw the puzzled look on Helga's face and said, "I can see you're not enjoying this calm personality the relationship has forced you into. If you're not happy, maybe it just wasn't meant to be." Helga looked at Phoebe and said, "Not happy? What are you talking about? I've never been happier in my life!" Helga said nervously.

Helga then walked outside to wait for Arnold.

Arnold was walking with Gerald on his way out of school. "Well Arnold, enjoy your night with your new girlfriend." Gerald said, still not believing what had happened between the two of them.

"Thanks Gerald, I'm going to take her somewhere fun. We can just act like friends, but at the same time, not be afraid to be seen with each other. Like you said, one step at a time." said Arnold.

"Whatever you say, Arnold." Gerald said, while shaking his head.

The two of them made it outside, as Arnold saw Helga standing by the stairs. He saw her staring at the ground, not noticing him coming over. He grabbed her hand and asked, "Ready to go?" Helga stood there remembering what had happened in class. How her classmate let her boyfriend do those sweet things for her, in front of everyone. Now this was Helga's chance to let Arnold be seen doing something nice for her.

"Uhh sure. Where are we going?" Helga asked, while trying to ignore the fact that Arnold was still holding her hand.

"I thought we could go to the fair! It shouldn't be too busy, since it's a weekday. That is, if you don't have a lot of homework to do?" Arnold asked hopefully. He looked at the nervous look on her face, as she continued to look at the other kids around them.

"Whatever floats your boat footbaa, I mean sounds good." Helga said, not having an easy time breaking her old habits.

"You know Helga, I was thinking on the way to class how hard this must be for you. Like you said, you're not like the other girls. If we love each other, there are just things we'll have to learn to accept about each other. If I want to be with you, I'll learn to get used to you not showing off our relationship in public. Although, I do wish you would let me do things for you." Arnold said understandably.

Helga looked into Arnold's eyes, still holding his hand, as she said, "I guess I could try harder. I mean, it's only been one day."

The two of them passed by Helga's house as Arnold said, "Would you like me to pick you up at five? Or I could come in now, and help with your homework?" Arnold suggested.

Helga held the back of her neck nervously as she said, "I'm sure Miriam's passed out at the counter, and Bob's in front of the tv, so I'll see you here at five."

Arnold smiled as he walked away, while Helga walked inside full of shame. Her predictions about her parents' whereabouts were correct, that not being the cause of her pain.

She once again ruined an opportunity to get closer to Arnold all because of her foolish pride. She laid on her bed thinking to herself...

 _Is this really how things are going to be? Not wanting him to leave me, but not wanting to be seen with him. All because I'm not willing to show the world I have a soft side?_

She pulled out her locket as she said to herself…

" _Oh Arnold, you poor creature! Here I finally have you within my grasp, and what do I do? How do I return the feelings which I have so longed to see you feel for me? By lowering myself to the shallow person you know I have proven more than to be! If ever I have a chance to prove my love for you, it's tonight! I shall stand by your side, despite…"_

"Helga!" her mom said in a tired tone.

Helga groaned as she responded, "WHAT?!"

"Have you seen the blender I use to make my smoothies with?" her mom asked.

Helga rolled her eyes as she said, "How on earth would I know what you did with it?!" Helga sighed, hearing her mom walk away from the door, hoping things would go well between her and Arnold that night.

On Arnold's way back home, he ran into Gerald. "Well buddy, is your new lady excited about the romantic evening you have planned?" Gerald asked sarcastically.

"I think so. I also told her, I understand she's not the type of girl who cares about romance, so I would try not to push it on her as much." said Arnold.

"You're just now figuring that out about her?" Gerald asked curiously.

"No, I just didn't think she would be that way around someone she had close feelings for." Arnold said defensively.

"So, what are you still doing with her then?" asked Gerald.

"Just because she's not romantic, doesn't mean she doesn't have a sensitive side Gerald. Not all girls are the same. When you think about it, she's done so much to help me over the years…

Helped us save the neighborhood

Won the trip to San Lorenzo

Woke up my Parents

Helped with Gerald Field

Defended Mighty Pete with us

Warned me when Summer tried to use me to win the sand castle competition...

"Okay! Okay! I get it!" Gerald said annoyed at Arnold's response.

The two of them then arrived at the boarding house.

"Well, good luck tonight buddy. Now that you know how fragile she is about this whole situation, you can just take her to the Tunnel of Love if you decide you want out." Gerald said jokingly

Arnold rolled his eyes as the two did their secret handshake.

Arnold opened the door to the boarding house as he walked past the usual stream of pets that poured out passed him. He passed his grandpa reading on the couch in the living room.

"Hey there shortman!" said Phil.

"Hey, grandpa. I think I'm going to take Helga to the fair tonight." said Arnold

"Ooohh the fair! Don't forget to take her to the Tunnel of Love!" exclaimed Phil

"I don't know if that's a good idea. Helga's still not comfortable with the idea of showing off our relationship." Arnold said questionably.

"Oh nonsense! You remember all those stories I told you about your grandma picking on me! It just means she likes you even more!" Phil insisted.

"That's the thing though. Now that she knows I know, she realizes showing off our feelings to people would mean losing her reputation." Arnold pointed out.

"Now you got a problem." Phil said regrettably.

Arnold sighed as he looked at the floor.

"Well Arnold, just give it some time. If she really loves you, she can't act like this forever." Phil insisted.

"Thanks grandpa, I'll be in my room" Arnold said.

Arnold went to put his things in his room. He sat on the couch wondering if Helga would ever feel comfortable opening up to him around other people. Eventually, it became time to go pick her up.

As he walked down the street, Arnold passed Mrs. Vitello's flower shop. For a moment he considered stopping in to buy some flowers. Then he thought about how Helga could barely handle the idea of sitting beside him on the bus. It made him wonder just how casual he was going to have to keep the night if the two of them were going to have a good time together.

Back at Helga's house, she knew Arnold would be there soon to pick her up. She thought about what she had said to Arnold at school, " _I guess I could try harder"_. Although they would be spending the evening at the fair, she wondered if that meant she should try dressing up her appearance a bit. While standing in front of the mirror, trying to find the right makeup to use, she was reminded of how uncharacteristic doing this made her feel at Rhonda's party.

Although she didn't care about dressing up, she had learned over the years girls tend to choose makeup that matches their outfit. That being said, she chose some light pink eyeshadow and lipstick to match her pink tank top. Unfortunately, she didn't have time to do anything unique with her hair. Therefore, she decided to leave it down, while still wearing her signature pink bow.

As she was finishing up, there was a knock at the bathroom door. "Hey, Helga you in there? You're little friend Alfred is here!". Bob exclaimed.

"It's Arnold, dad!" Helga sighed, while still surprised he had remembered her name.

"Yea, Arnold, whatever! Anyway, he's waiting outside for you!" Bob said.

Helga ran downstairs to meet Arnold. When she opened the door, Arnold was not expecting to see Helga looking any different than she had at school. When he saw her with her makeup and hair down, he looked at her for a moment until finally he said, "You look really nice."

Helga blushed as she said, "Thanks Arnoldo." Not caring that she had made fun of his name.

"So, you ready to go?" Arnold asked with his hands in his pockets. Helga stood there a moment, surprised he didn't want to hold her hand. "Yep, I'm ready." she said.

The two of them walked quietly down the street, not knowing what to say to each other. When Arnold didn't want to hold hands, Helga wondered if he was starting to lose interest in her. As she gulped, she reached for his arm. Before she could touch it, Arnold pulled out his hand to point and said, "We're here!".

Helga felt a sigh of relief. She had an excuse not to try anything romantic, until they made it to the ticket booth. She thought to herself, " _Oh no. Do I have to let him buy my ticket?"._ She kept her money in her pocket, waiting for him to buy, until she heard him say to the ticket master, "One please."

After Helga bought her own ticket, Arnold said anxiously, "Let's go ride some rides!". While following him, she thought about what he had said to her back at school, " _if we love each other, there are things we'll have to learn to accept about each other."_ Was he acting this way because he was finally accepting the idea of her not being like the other girls, or would she really have to try harder to keep him around?

On their way to the roller coaster, they passed the Ring Toss game. Arnold wondered if Helga would feel too uncomfortable, if he offered to win her something. Then, he heard her say…

"Bet I could beat you at that Ring Toss game football head!".

"You're on!" Arnold laughed.

The man in charge of the booth gave each of them three rings. As Arnold threw, he tried to win the teddy bear on the top shelf. All he could think about as he threw was what he would do with the prize when he won it. His inability to concentrate caused him to miss every time.

Then it was Helga's turn. She wasn't thinking about winning the prize, but rather following through on her word to beat Arnold. Every time Helga threw, she could sense Arnold watching her, but refused to take her eyes off the game. Finally, she heard "We have a winner!"

The man handed her the teddy bear on the top shelf, as she said, "Told ya I'd win Arnoldo!"

As Helga hugged the bear, Arnold put his arm around her, not thinking about what he was doing. Helga stopped for a moment to think about how this must look to everyone. She again remembered her promise to try harder to make things work between them, therefore decided not to say anything.

Arnold wondered if maybe she just hadn't noticed his arm was around her, but didn't want to ruin the moment. They then decided to keep walking as they were, until they came to the Ferris Wheel.

As they passed it, Arnold pointed out "Hey look the Ferris Wheel! We could go for a ride.. You know, as friends… I mean plenty of guys ride with girls as friends… I mean…"

Helga saw how nervous he was and butted in, "Sheesh Arnoldo, why don't you hold my teddy bear while we're on it, to calm yourself down!"

The two of them waited in line as Arnold noticed Helga getting quiet. She stared at the couples on the ride, looking at each other kissing, holding hands and wrapping their arms around each other.

"Are you okay?" asked Arnold.

Helga turned to look at him as she said, "Just wondering if this lame-o ride goes any faster than it appears to be going."

Finally, a seat was available for them. As they got in, Helga thought it would be a good idea to set her teddy bear in between the two of them. " _There, that should give us some space."_ She thought to herself.

Arnold saw how uncomfortable she looked, wondering if it was a bad idea to come on the ride. Then it began to spin. He saw her hair blow back in the wind, opening up her face that she had touched up for their 'special' night. It was hard to believe someone so beautiful could be so insecure.

Helga saw the smile on Arnold's face, realizing she was ruining the night by carrying what other people thought of them. She then decided to scoot closer to him. As Arnold looked across the park, he felt something on his hand. He looked down to see Helga laying hers on top of his, with a nervous smile on her face. The two of them kept their eyes on each other for the rest of the ride. By the end of it, Helga decided how lucky she was to be there with Arnold, and didn't care who noticed it.

When the two of them left the ride, they were holding hands across the park. Arnold looked at his watch and said, "It's getting kind of late, and the roller coaster is on the other side of the park." Helga smiled as she looked over and said, "There's the Tunnel of Love, we could go on that instead?"

Arnold couldn't believe what he was hearing. The girl who shot spitballs at him in class wanted to ride the most romantic ride in the park with him. He then lead her over to the ride. As Helga held his hand, she felt him shaking from anticipation, and said, "Easy there Arnoldo! Save it for the ride!".

Over at the popcorn stand, Gerald and Phoebe were watching. Gerald shook his head as he said to Phoebe, "Mm, mm, mmm. I don't know what's crazier. Knowing those two are together, or seeing them be that open about it?!"

Phoebe smiled as she said, "It is a bit precarious, but the openness of their situation shows the comfortability forming in it."

Finally, it was Arnold and Helga's turn to ride in a swan boat. Arnold helped Helga into the boat, anxiously following after her. As their boat took them into the tunnel, Arnold couldn't believe how much Helga was opening up to him. While passing the hearts hanging from the ceiling and and the crystal blue waterfall, Arnold put his right arm around Helga, and held her hand with the other.

Helga sat there thinking about when they were kids. When she knew Arnold had feelings for Ruth, she did everything she could to ruin his night at the fair with her. While she succeeded at keeping him from getting close with Ruth, she didn't exactly have the best night herself. It made her wonder how insecure she would have felt if she had ended up riding in the tunnel with Arnold. Would she have been as happy as she was now, or would she have been too embarrassed to let either of them enjoy it?

She thought about the person she used to be. How even though she'd always loved Arnold, she was never able to show it. Now here she was, on the most romantic ride in the park with all their friends knowing about it.

As she realized this, Helga turned to look into Arnold's eyes. He didn't hesitate to kiss her. Neither of them cared at that moment who saw them or what anyone's opinion of their relationship was.

Helga then laid her head on Arnold's shoulder, amazed at the point they had finally reached in their relationship. She had always dreamed of being with Arnold, but never expected it to happen. While she knew she had always had a sensitive side that was fitting for him, she felt he would prefer to be with someone who was willing to show those feelings.

At last the ride ended, and the two of them left the boat, still holding hands. When Arnold saw Helga was no longer uncomfortable showing off their feelings for one another, he asked, "Would you like me to buy you some cotton candy?"

Helga stopped to think about everything she had already let Arnold do for her. They rode rides together, held hands together, kissed in front of the rest of the kids in the tunnel. Would it really be that big of a deal to show a sign of weakness now?

"Uhhh sure Ar-arnold." she said nervously.

As Arnold went to buy their cotton candy, Helga sat down at a table. She looked around, hoping no one would be paying them too much attention. Arnold looked so happy and confident while buying their snacks. Helga looked at him and said to herself...

 _Oh Arnold, when will I get over myself and show the world on the outside, how you've always made me feel on the inside? When will I put away this shameful cover of arduous, and open up my soul to your presence? If only you could see.."_

"Helga?" Arnold interrupted her as he returned with their snacks. Helga jumped as she heard Arnold say her name from behind her. "Arnold! I mean, stop creeping up on me!" she scowled.

"Were you reciting another poem about me?", Arnold couldn't help but ask. Helga blushed as she stared at Arnold, unsure of how to respond. After realizing that was what she had to be doing, he helped her save face by saying, "just kidding."

As the two ate their cotton candy, Sid and Stinky were watching from another table. "Whilikers! Arnold on a date with Helga! What in the heck you think's goin' on there?" asked Stinky.

"Boy howdy! Talk about embarrassing!" Sid responded.

As the two started laughing harder, Arnold and Helga looked over to see them staring in their direction. Arnold rolled his eyes as Helga did her best to ignore them. "Would you feel more comfortable if we just left?" he asked.

Helga glared as she responded, "And let these losers think they've won? Are you kidding?!"

"What do you mean by that?" Arnold asked.

"Arnold, if we have to let losers like them see us together, we can't let them know that they bother us. It shows a sign of weakness!"

Helga stopped as she said this. She finally realized, her reputation wasn't protected by her position, but by her self esteem. People seeing her in a relationship didn't make her any less of a person, and 'her' opinion about it was the only one that mattered.

Arnold smiled as he put his hand on her's and responded, "Whatever you say Helga."

Helga blushed, trying to keep character, as she said, "That's right, whatever I say!"

After the two of them finished eating, they decided to head home. As they walked down the street to Helga's house, Arnold asked Helga, "Are you really comfortable with this?"

"What do you mean, football head?" Helga asked.

"After seeing how uncomfortable you were today, I realized this just may not be your thing. Even if you do have feelings for me, only you can be the one to show them. Maybe you would just be happier as friends?" Arnold said sadly.

Helga stopped walking as her eyes lit up. "Crimeney hairboy! What's it going to take for you to realize, all I've ever wanted is to be with you! Just because I act tough, it doesn't mean I don't care about you!"

At that moment, Gerald and Phoebe walked by across the street. Arnold didn't notice them; he just stood there thinking about what Helga had said to him. When Helga saw them walking by, she pulled Arnold close to kiss him.

"Mmm, mmm, mmmm! This night just gets scarier and scarier!" Gerald said to Phoebe, as she stood there smiling at Arnold and Helga.

"When you think about it, this all makes quite a bit of sense. Studies show at least 50% of relationships forming started out with one distraught figure." Phoebe pointed out.

"You do realize we'll be in their wedding, right?" Gerald said regrettably.

As Helga released Arnold, he noticed Gerald and Phoebe. Gerald giving him a sympathetic look, as Helga didn't appear ashamed at all.

"I don't know if my tough girl attitude will ever change, but I do know my feelings for you never will." Helga said confidently.

Arnold smiled as he took her hand. The two of them continued walking to her house. On the way there, they passed by "Chez Paris."

"I remember our last 'date' there," Arnold said sarcastically.

Helga rolled her eyes as she said, "It's not my fault they've got more than one french restaurant in this part of town! Chez Paris, Chez Pierre, are the names really that different?! Could they not have just accepted the coupon?! Sheesh!"

"I had fun washing dishes with you, though. Telling them the truth about what happened was pretty sophisticated of you." Arnold insisted.

"Oh brother. At least I didn't end up in the restroom gagging my brains out like the first time I went on a date with you there!" Helga said.

Arnold looked at her confused, as he asked, "What are you talking about?"

Helga then realized, she had never told him about pretending to be his pen pal Cecile. She looked away nervously, as she said, "Ohhh wait, that must be someone else I'm thinking of. Hehe.. nevermind!"

Arnold glared at her, as he asked, "I understand if you're never going to be able to put away your bad girl attitude, but the least you can do is be honest with me."

Helga sighed as she responded, "Okay! Fine! Remember when we had to do that stupid Pen Pal thing in fourth grade?!"

"Yeah?" Arnold said.

"I wanted so badly to spend Valentine's day with you, but I just couldn't bring myself to confess my feelings for you. Therefore, I stole your pen pals letter, and asked you to meet me at Chez Paris." Helga said while blushing heavily.

Arnold paused, until finally he said, "Wait! That was you?!"

"Oh come on football head! You said yourself, I looked nothing like her picture! Was it REALLY that hard to figure out who I was?!" Helga exclaimed.

Arnold smiled as he looked down and said, "No, I guess not. You were just the last person I would have expected to want to go on a date with me."

Helga rubbed his hand as she sighed and said, "Yeah, I guess I could understand that."

The two of them crossed the bridge over the park as they saw Madam Blanch's love potion shop. Arnold looked over and said, "I wonder if those things actually work?"

Helga smirked as she said, "What do you think football head?"

"I don't know?" Arnold said curiously.

"Trust me, they're a rip off!" Helga scowled.

"How do you know?" Arnold asked

Helga started thinking about all the other secrets she had shared with Arnold, and realized telling him about this wouldn't be a big deal.

"Well my unrequited love for you when we were kids began to drive me crazy at some point. I then went into that store to ask for a potion that would make me forget about you. Then when I went to ask for the 'spell' to be reversed, I found that cheapskate had just charged me $10.00 for some grape pop!" Helga explained

"Haha, yeah I guess I'd be pretty upset too! Did you get your money back?" Arnold admitted.

"No, I was just happy knowing I got to be in love with you again." Helga admitted.

They continued walking, as they passed by PS 118.

Arnold looked over as he said, "We sure shared a lot of good times there."

"If by good times, you mean crazy memories, then yeah." Helga corrected him

"I'll always remember the baseball games, the class projects, the field trips, even that school play Mr. Simmons made us do." Arnold said.

Helga gulped as he brought up the play.

Arnold said questionably "I forgot which play it was. I just remember I didn't want to be in it. Hamlet? Or Macbeth? Or…"

Helga sighed as she said, "Romeo and Juliet dingus!"

"That's it! Weren't you in it too?" Arnold asked

"Yes hairboy! I was the one who kissed you at the end… doi!" Helga said angrily

Arnold's memory of the play suddenly came back to him. He remembered the long kiss Helga gave him, and how awkward he felt during it. "I guess you were pretty happy when you heard you got the part, huh?" he said jokingly.

Helga rolled her eyes as she explained, "I wasn't GIVEN the part Arnoldo. I sort of, forced the other girls to drop out, so I could have it."

Arnold gave Helga a questioning look, as he asked, "What do you mean you FORCED them?"

"Well Rhonda, Sheena, Phoebe, and Lila were all in line for the part, so I had to find a way to make them drop out one by one, before Simmons would agree to give me the part." Helga explained.

"They all agreed to drop out for you?" Arnold said surprisingly.

"No, dingus! I had to attack them personally." Helga exclaimed.

"How did you do that?" Arnold insisted on knowing.

"Well, Rhonda was a piece of cake. All it took was telling The Queen of Fashion that she would have to wear a monstrous outfit if she was going to play Juliet." Helga laughed.

"Yeah, I can't see her going through with that." Arnold agreed. "What about the other girls?"

"Sheena didn't seem too comfortable with the idea of being in a violent play… as if the sword fights and corpses were real? What an idiot!" Helga explained while she rolled her eyes.

"Well, not everyone's as tough as you are Helga." Arnold smiled.

"Then, I went over to Pheebs' house. I offered to 'help' with her lines." Helga said sarcastically.

"I'm assuming that means you taught her the wrong lines?" Arnold asked.

"I'm not THAT evil hairboy! I just pointed out she would have sooo many lines too learn, and could easily end up blowing it on stage. That it might lead to a case of stage fright and letting down Simmons and the entire class who worked soooo hard on the play." Helga said simply.

"Almost as hard as you did to get her to drop out of the play." Arnold said sarcastically.

"Ohh shut up!" Helga exclaimed.

"So, that just leaves one more girl." Arnold pointed out.

"You mean little Ms. Perfect?" Helga asked as she rolled her eyes.

"She must have been pretty easy to get rid of," said Arnold.

"Are you kidding?! Nothing scared her! Not the outfit, not the scenes, not the lines! Arnold, that's why she's called… little Ms. Perfect!" Helga pointed out.

"So, how did you get rid of her?" Arnold asked anxiously.

Helga sighed as she said, "She wouldn't give me the part if I didn't have a reason for wanting it. Before I could even consider telling her how I felt about you, she guessed I liked you."

"It was sweet of her to give up the part for you," Arnold pointed out. "I'm kind of surprised she never said anything to me about it."

"I threatened to strangle her with my bare hands if she spilled the beans to anyone!" said Helga.

"Well that explains it," Arnold said.

The two walked silently, hand in hand, until Helga finally said, "I took advantage of every opportunity to be near you when we were younger Arnold…

Being in the play

Being on Babe Watch

Winning the trip to San Lorenzo

Helping you save the neighborhood

Pretending to be blind on April Fools Day

Pretending to have amnesia

Helping you….

"Whoa! Wait a minute! What do you mean, 'pretended' to have amnesia?" asked Arnold shockingly.

"What does it sound like it means, football head?!" Helga said annoyingly.

"You mean, after I hit you with the baseball, you never actually lost your memory?" Arnold asked.

"After you took me home, took care of me, did whatever else you did for me, Miriam came in my room the next morning pretending to be mother of the year, and asked how I was feeling. After pretending to care, she told me what had happened to me. I was so happy to have an excuse to spend time with you, that I decided to fake having amnesia."

"Wow!" Arnold exclaimed.

"That is, until I saw how upset you were that you wouldn't be able to go to the game with Gerald. I decided then to let go of the act, and pretended to hit my head against the fountain, to set you free." Helga said sadly.

"You were a pretty good actress," Arnold said sympathetically.

"Not good enough to win you over," Helga pointed out.

"We're together now?" Arnold pointed out, as he looked over at Helga. She smiled thinking about all the information she had shared with him, and was surprised by how open she was learning to be.

As they were almost to Helga's house, they passed the pet shop, 'Pet's Love'. Helga saw Arnold look over and said, "Don't tell me you're thinking about getting another pet to add to that ridiculous collection of your's."

Arnold smiled as he said, "Actually, I was just thinking about that pet parrot I brought to school in fourth grade."

Helga's heart skipped a beat as she heard him bring that up.

"It just flew into my room one day, and kept reciting some bizarre poem that already had my name in it?" Arnold said.

"Oh well, there are all kinds of lunatics in this town. He must have copied it from someone." Helga said as sweat began to form on her face.

"I guess so. Didn't you bring a pet to school that day too?" asked Arnold.

"Me? Don't be ridiculous! Why would you think that?" Helga said nervously.

"I remember the bird was eaten by some strange lizard, as he was finishing up his poem." Arnold said confusingly.

Helga gulped, hoping he wouldn't put two and two together.

"Weren't you standing next to it, when it happened?" Arnold asked.

Helga rolled her eyes as she said, "Fine! It was mine! The bird, the poem, the lizard, everything! You happy now?!"

Arnold looked at her frustration as he asked, "What was it doing in my room?"

"I don't know Arnoldo! Bob picked it up one day, then decided to stick it my room the night I was reciting a poem about you. I woke up the next morning to hear the stupid thing had memorized every line of it!" Helga said angrily as Arnold tried not to laugh.

"As if that wasn't bad enough, I came back to my room to find it had flown out my window when I returned with the chainsaw I had planned to use to destroy it!" Helga said.

"I guess I'd be pretty worried too" Arnold admitted.

"Doi! I chased that thing up and down the streets 'til finally, I saw it fly into your room! I tried hiding out in there, but you took the stupid thing to school with you!" Helga said defensively.

"You hid in my room? How did you do that?" Arnold asked curiously.

"Uhhh… nevermind." Helga said nervously.

Arnold looked over at her nervous expression, waiting for her to confess. The awkward silence made the story even more embarrassing for Helga, until finally, she responded. "That wasn't the first time I had to steal something back from you Arnold. By that point, I had learned how to hide from you in there."

"What else of your's did I have?" asked Arnold

"Oh brother! Remember that book of poems everyone at school thought was pathetic?" Helga asked upsettingly.

"You mean, the little pink book I found on the bus?" Arnold asked, thinking back.

"That's right football head! I wrote them! I waited in your closet, watching you and Gerald run those lame tests. Thinking you could figure out who was behind them. Hairboy suggested getting some ice cream from Slaucen's, but you wouldn't do it. Therefore, I ended up spending the night in your closet!" Helga scowled as Arnold looked at her surprisingly.

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised. It explains why you tore out that last page, before I could finish reading it. I just didn't find it unusual for you to shoot spitballs at me." Arnold pointed out.

"You made it halfway through my name, before I tore out the page. Was it REALLY that hard to figure out who did it? Just like with the parrot. I mean, do you know anyone else whose name rhymes with 'wacky'? Sheesh!" Helga scowled.

"Haha yeah, I guess you're right; so is that everything?" Arnold laughed.

"What do you think?" Helga smirked, as Arnold looked at her, waiting to hear what she had to tell him next.

Helga stayed quiet as the two continued walking down the street, holding hands. Eventually, they passed by 'Gentle Dentistry'. Arnold saw her sigh, as he asked, "Is everything okay?"

Helga turned to looked at him as she said, "I'm guessing you've never had a filling before football head?"

Arnold looked at her random response confusingly as he answered, "No, have you?"

"I had quite a few as a kid," Helga pointed out. "Eventually, that quack dentist suggested I use laughing gas during one of them."

"That doesn't sound so bad." Arnold responded.

"Are you kidding? Do you know what happened?! I started blabbing my feelings for you to everyone in the building!" Helga screamed.

"Oh…" Arnold laughed.

"As if that wasn't bad enough, the stupid dentist didn't even care! He just let me jump out of the chair I was sitting in, to steal the receptionist phone and call you! What kind of medical professional is he?" Helga scowled

"Wait, you called me?" Arnold stopped her.

"That's right hairboy! When I realized what I was doing, I went to your place to steal back the tape from the answering machine." Helga explained

"I'm guessing you got it, because I never heard it?" Arnold insisted.

"Your lunatic grandmother played it, then told you I was Helen of Troy trying to sell you a passion fruit drink." Helga explained as she rolled her eyes.

"I think I remember that. Wasn't Gerald with me?" Arnold asked.

"Him and what turned out to be the rest of our idiot classmates after I finally got my hands on the tape! I fell through your wall in front of you. Everyone just stared as I walked out!" Helga reminded him.

"Oh wait, I remember now! That was when we were discussing our plans for buying the new go cart!" Arnold jumped as his memory of it all came back to him.

"Guess your money went towards buying a new roof instead, huh football head?" Helga smirked.

Arnold smiled at her as the two continued walking. As embarrassed as Helga was, she couldn't believe how accepting Arnold had been to it all.

The negativity

The schemes

The crazy obsessions

They then past another familiar building. "Look at that tall building," Arnold pointed out.

Helga glanced out of the corner of her eye, as she said, "What about it?"

"I just find them fascinating." Arnold admitted.

"Maybe you should take a trip inside, sounds like you could use one," Helga said sarcastically.

"What do you mean by that?" Arnold asked, having no idea what she was referring to.

"Read the sign dingus; Hillwood Medical Center." Helga scowled.

"Have you ever had therapy Helga?" Arnold asked after reading the sign.

"Me? Are you kidding? Why would a confident person like me, need some psychopath to tell me how I should feel?" Helga lied, as she hoped Arnold would drop the subject.

"Everyone needs help with something Helga. They may not need someone to talk to about it, but nobody's perfect." Arnold gave her a sorry look, hoping to reach her.

"Well, I might have stopped in there once or twice, just to humor myself." Helga admitted, rubbing the back of her neck.

"What do you mean, humor yourself?" Arnold asked interestingly.

"You remember when that stupid psychiatrist decided to visit our school in 4th grade?" Helga sighed.

"Yeah" Arnold responded as he continued to listen.

"Well, I was the one that nosey lady couldn't take her eyes off of the entire day. She insisted by shooting spitballs at you, staring at you, and calling you football head, I would be the perfect candidate for her stupid practice. Then, decided to close the deal when she saw me sock Brainey." Helga explained aggravatedly.

"So, I was what you talked about the entire time?" Arnold asked.

"She wanted to, but I found ways to change the topic. I'm just that good." Helga said confidently.

"Whatever you say Helga. So how did you change the topic?" Arnold asked, hoping he hadn't gone too far.

Helga rolled her eyes, as she responded, "I just told her how angry my family makes me. That may have been a mistake, because she couldn't seem to let that go either ! 'I want to try to get to the root of the matter; uncover any secrets you may be hiding' Oh brother!" Helga told him, as she remembered.

"Well, that is what they do; help people find the cause of their emotional troubles, and eventually a solution to them." Arnold pointed out.

"Oh for crying out loud! I didn't need HER to know the solution to my problem would be just to tell you how I felt." Helga looked down as she added. "That I've felt this way about you from the first moment I saw you at Urban Tots Preschool."

"So why didn't you just tell me then?" Arnold asked.

"I thought we settled this last night? I wasn't ready to say it, and when I was, you weren't ready to hear it." Helga reminded him angrily.

"You're right, and that's one of my deepest regrets." Arnold said sadly.

"Why is that, Arnoldo?" Helga asked.

"Because if I had been, we could have been together, that much sooner." Arnold smiled.

As Helga looked up at Arnold, he let go of her hand to put his arm around her. The two of them felt closer than ever. Finally, they made it to Helga's house.

"Well, this is it I guess." Helga said sadly.

Arnold looked up at her and said, "Unless you'd like me to come in and hear some of those poems you wrote about me?" he laughed, while hoping she'd say yes.

Helga gave him a glare as she said, "Watch it football head. Just because we're closer now, doesn't mean I can't still sock you!"

Arnold stepped closer as Helga nervously went on to say, "But you never know, you might get lucky one day."

Arnold kissed her in front of the other people walking down the street; Helga not caring about who saw them. "I'm already the luckiest guy in the world!" Arnold said happily.

Helga blushed heavily, as she said, "Well, doi! You're with the best girl in the world!"

"Whatever you say Helga." Arnold laughed as he waved and walked away.

As Arnold walked away, Helga stepped inside. She pulled out her locket as she leaned against the front door and said to herself…

" _Oh Arnold, my love! Finally, my lifelong feelings for you are being shared. Yet, while I draw closer to you, I cannot bare to part with my everyday hostile behavior. If only there was some way to prove my outward behavior in no way justifies I haven't always cared. When will I be able to put aside my…_

"What's going on in there?!" Bob interrupted.

"Uhhh nothing dad." Helga said nervously.

"Well pipe down, I'm watching the wheel!" Bob exclaimed.

Helga groaned as she walked upstairs, thinking about the lack of appreciation that was shown for her in her own home.

As Arnold was walking down the street, he heard Rhonda and Nadine laughing as they were looking at Rhonda's phone. "Heyyy Arnold!" Rhonda said, anxiously. He turned around to see Rhonda holding a picture of him kissing Helga in the Tunnel of Love.

His face turned bright red, as he asked, "Where did you get that?!"

"Oh Arnold, don't be so embarrassed; after all, you wanted a more open relationship with her." Rhonda pointed out.

While knowing it was true, the last thing he wanted was to make Helga uncomfortable. He knew if that picture ended up going public, it would humiliate her.

"How did you even get that picture?" he asked angrily.

"Remember how when we were in fourth grade, Rhonda made Harold ride the Tunnel of Love with her? Well the two of them were right beh…. OW!"

Rhonda smacked Nadine before she could pass out anymore information.

"Let's just say, I have my ways." Rhonda said proudy.

Arnold rolled his eyes as he stopped to think for a second "If you and Harold were behind us, that means he knows too. Which means, Stinky and Sid were probably laughing about that at us when they saw us at the snack table, which means…"

"Yep, it won't be long before this picture is circling H.S. 118!" Rhonda said proudly.

"What are you so worried about Arnold? I thought you were the one trying to convince Helga to open up more around other people?" Nadine asked confusingly.

"Not like this! She can barely hold hands with me in front of other people. How do you think THIS will make her feel?!" Arnold shouted

"If anything, we're doing you a favor. You want her to be open, and she's never going to be this open on her own. You've waited years to see it from her. Trust me, you'll thank us later." Rhonda insisted.

"Thank you for what? Publicly humiliating us?" Arnold glared at her.

"Maybe we 'should' let them do this their own way Rhonda? What do 'we' have to gain from it? Nadine pointed out.

"News flash! As the coolest girl in school, it's my job to stay on top of what really matters, Fashion, Romance, and Gossip!" Rhonda shouted.

Arnold rolled his eyes as he responded, "This isn't grade school. I don't know what makes you think you're still the coolest kid, or why any of that stuff still matters?"

"Well, if it doesn't matter, I have no reason to feel guilty about spreading the word." Rhonda argued, as Arnold walked off, knowing he would never reach her.

As he approached the boarding house, he saw Big Patty buying a popsicle from the Jolly Olly man. "I asked for a Mr. Fudgey, this is an Ice Cream Sandwich?" Patty pointed out.

"My records don't indicate that." The Jolly Olly man said sarcastically. Patty pulled him close and said, "Give me what I asked for, or I'll give you what you're asking for!"

The Jolly Olly man switched her treats as he said, "Fine! Take it! Some girls are just lunatics!" As Patty turned around, she saw Arnold, "Oh, Hey Arnold."

"Hey Patty, what happened there?" Arnold asked.

"That jerk wouldn't give me the ice cream I wanted, so I threatened to knock his teeth out if he didn't." Patty explained.

Arnold stood there for a second and thought about how different Patty was from Rhonda. Rhonda was all about Fashion, gossip, and cared about other people's opinions of her. Patty dressed casually, wasn't too social, and made sure to make herself happy.

"Oh, well, I'm glad you got your ice cream" he said. "Yeah, see you around Arnold." Patty said.

Finally, Arnold made it home. Arnold saw his grandma in the kitchen, pretending her flyswatter to kill a fly was another jungle adventure to kill a man eating tiger. As he looked at her, he thought about the similar stories his grandpa had told him of their childhood together. It made him wonder how long it took her to open up to Phil.

Back at Helga's house, she laid on her bed, thinking about the wonderful night she had opening up to Arnold. Although she had fantasized about someday being with him, she never in her wildest dreams, imagined being able to reveal the secrets she had revealed about their childhood the past two days.

She pulled out a journal from her nightstand as she began to write..

 _Oh Arnold, what care and loyalty you have shown to me_

 _As I hide my tender soul, you are still able to see_

 _Tomorrow shall be the day my love will not go astray_

 _Your hand will guide me through the halls, and I will not away_

As Helga sighed with relief, her phone beeped; it was Arnold. She anxiously put away her journal, as if he was there to read it.

"Hey Helga, I really enjoyed hanging out with you tonight!" Arnold texted.

A smile covered her face, as she knew the only thing still standing in the way of them was her foolish pride.

"I had a pretty good time myself" She texted, holding back the insulting nicknames.

After reading her response, Arnold fell back on his bed and sighed, wondering if the right thing to do would be to tell her what happened, or just let them both see for themselves how bad the word had spread at school the next day. "What do I do?" He said to himself.

As he began to type, "I have something to tell you," he stopped to think about the kiss. For a moment he forgot about the threatening picture that was taken of it, and just thought about how much he enjoyed her warm touch. Along with the comfortability they both showed with each other in the ride together.

As Arnold was thinking about this, he received another text. "I really enjoyed that kiss in the Tunnel of Love."

Helga was shaking after she sent the text, "Crimeney! I can't believe I just did that! What am I, some type of slut?"

She waiting anxiously for his response, hoping she hadn't scared him off.

Arnold looked at the text and thought to himself, _She's finally opening up to me! I can't ruin things now! I have to know how she's going to feel tomorrow though?_

"I bet I enjoyed it even more!" Arnold responded. When Helga read this she fell back on her pillow with a lovesick grin. _Maybe this sensitivity crap won't be so bad?_ She thought to herself. Before her thought could go any further, she received another text from him.

"It's too bad we don't have a picture of it, huh?"

Helga's heart froze, but her mind scattered. _What IF there had been a picture? That would mean actual evidence of my sensitive side. I did promise to try harder, but am I ready to take a chance like that? What if it fell into the wrong hands? Thankfully, I've nothing to worry about…_

"Yea, it's too bad I guess." Helga said, with a sigh of relief, as Arnold read the text, wandering if she was serious.

"What if there was a picture?" Arnold asked, while rubbing the back of his neck.

Helga lifted a part of her eyebrow eyebrow, wondering why it mattered to him.

"I don't know? Why do you even care, football head?" she asked aggravatedly

Arnold sighed, thinking to himself, _she's going to hate me for this!_

Helga realized she was getting worked up, and texted back before Arnold could respond…

"I suppose as long as no one else saw it, it would be a nice thing for us to have… but just us!" she said.

 _Well at least she's okay with the idea of there being a picture,_ Arnold thought to himself while looking on the bright side.

"Yeah, I understand. Well, I guess I'll let you get some sleep now. See you tomorrow." Arnold texted

"Night football head."

Helga slipped into her pajamas wondering why Arnold cared so much about having a picture of what had happened. It made her start to feel she wasn't moving fast enough as far as opening up her sensitive side went.

 _What's wrong with me! Here I have Arnold showing the love and care I've always dreamed he would for me, but I just can't let go of my dark side! Why is it so important to me? Who cares what anyone else thinks of us? Why would I care that everyone in school saw me in a relationship with who just happens to be the hottest guy in school? Why do I torment us both with what appears to be 'hostile sensitivity'? That does it! Tomorrow I am marching up to him, and doing every gooey romantic gesture a couple does, no matter what!_

As Arnold changed into his pajamas, he thought about the different personality traits he had seen when he ran into both Rhonda and Patty on his way home. He thought about how not all girls have the same interests and qualities, which made him think about Helga. Although she was happy to stand up for herself like Patty, she still cared what others thought of her like Rhonda.

After remembering how infuriated he was with Rhonda for sending the news of their Tunnel of Love ride, it made Arnold wonder if he should feel just as guilty. Was he testing the strength of Helga's insecurities by simply letting her find out the news for herself? He wanted Helga to be honest with him about everything, now here he was, keeping a terrible secret from her.

It was too late to change things. All they could do was try to get some sleep and pray the next day wouldn't be as judgmental as Rhonda made him believe it would be.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: A Picture's Worth A Thousand Words

When Arnold woke up the next morning, the first thought that came to his mind was, word getting around about the picture Rhonda had taken. He hurried and got dressed, trying to think of what to say to Helga.

After he finished getting ready, he grabbed his bag and headed for the front door.

"Whoa shortman! What's your hurry?!" Phil asked

"Sorry grandpa, I just can't miss the bus." Arnold explained.

"Well at least have a pancake? You'll need your strength for the cattle drive!" Pookey insisted as Phil rolled his eyes.

"Uhh that's okay grandma, I'll just take this apple instead." Arnold grabbed one as he scurried out the door.

When Helga woke up that morning, the first thought that came to her mind was, _okay, show your sensitive side today!_

Again, she felt uncomfortable dressing up, but knew she would have to make more of an effort if things were going to work between them. After putting on a purple sweater with jeans and purple heels to match, she went to the bathroom. She put her hair up in a clip and got out some purple eyeshadow and pink lipstick. As she was finishing up, she heard a knock on the door…

"Hey Olga, you in there! Alfred's outside!" Bob yelled

Helga looked startled, wondering why Arnold wasn't just meeting her at the bus stop.

"O-okay? I'm on my way." Helga said surprisingly, not caring he messed up her name.

She grabbed her bag on the way down, surprised to see Bob hadn't stolen any of her other notebooks.

As she opened the door, she said, "What are you doing here football head? I thought we were meeting at the bus stop? Sheesh!"

"I thought we could walk to school together. Like I said, it's sad how much more time could have been spent with each other, if we both hadn't been too shy to open up." Arnold pointed out as he took her hand.

Helga gave him a lovesick grin as she replied, "Whatever floats your boat." _Already I'm screwing up this sensitivity crap. Be NICE Helga NICE!_

The two of them were walking hand in hand as Helga said "So, I was thinking about what you said last night, and I guess it would have been nice to have gotten a picture of us on the ride. I'd suggest it to the guy running the ride, but that dingus might end up giving our's to the wrong person if they did do that." Helga said nervously

"You really would be okay with that?" Arnold asked

"Yeah, sure why not. I mean we are dating. Half the world saw us on the Ferris Wheel." Helga admitted

As the two approached the school, Helga tried to hide how nervous she was about still holding Arnold's hand, while entering the building

 _Come on Helga, tons of dorky couples fill the halls with their romantic crap on a daily basis. You can pull this off!_

Arnold began to rub her hand with his thumb as he said, "You ready?"

"Uhh… ready when you are." she said.

As the two entered the school, the school, everything seemed fine at first. No one was looking at them, and they were both filled with relief. Arnold was happy it appeared word had not been spread about the picture. Helga was just relieved no special attention was being drawn to them.

They held hands all the way to Helga's locker, as Arnold asked, "So, when do you get to turn in your poem?"

"Not for another few days. My guess is we'll either be discussing the topics we've chosen to write about, or listen to her discuss who she believes to be the most inspirational authors. What a lame-o" Helga explained.

"I thought you loved poetry?" Arnold asked

"Not when I'm being told how I should write it! I'm my own inspiration!" Helga snapped.

"Whatever you say Helga. See you at lunch" Arnold kissed her on the cheek as he left for his class.

As Helga couldn't help but notice the people staring when that happened, she didn't seem to mind. For once people were envious of the love someone was feeling for her, rather than her being driven crazy by the lonely feelings of emptiness her once unrequited love had brought on her.

She then entered her poetry class, being one of the last to arrive.

"All right class, now that everyone is here, I'd like to discuss your assignment. I know it's not due yet, but I'd like to hear the traits you've chosen to write about. I'll go around the room and ask each of you what you're writing about."

Helga sat there, wondering nervously what everyone's opinion of her topic would be. Occasionally acting more sensitive was one thing. What would people think if they knew it actually bothered her?

"I've chosen to write about my gullibility. At times I can be too trusting." Said Tracey

"That's a wonderful idea! It's important to know who and when to trust!" said Ms. Carter

"Pttt, please!" Helga whispered to herself.

"I've chosen to write about my social skill. Sometimes I think about how hard it must be for other people to be around guys as cool as I am." said Tommy

"Yeah, you keep thinkin' that genius." Helga muttered.

"Although that's a creative idea, the idea is for you to pick a quality 'you' don't like about yourself. Not one you think upsets other people." Mrs. Carter pointed out.

As Tommy rolled his eyes, Mrs. Carter looked around the room and said, "All right, who's left?"

She then eyed Helga and said, "What about you dear? What trait have you chosen to write about?"

Helga looked down at the desk as she muttered her topic, "invulnerable."

"I'm sorry, I can't hear you dear?" Ms. Carter held a hand to her ear.

Helga sighed as she lifted her head and said, "That I'm invulnerable. I'm not capable of showing I have a sensitive or willing to admit when someone has hurt me."

The teacher smiled and said "That can be just as admirable of a quality as it can frustrating."

Helga smiled with relief as they heard the bell ring. "All right class, we'll discuss this more tomorrow!" Ms. Carter said.

Helga left the class as she saw Arnold in the hall, he came over to hug her and said,

"See you at lunch!"

"Sounds good." She replied

As Arnold headed towards Gerald, He heard Rhonda say, "Oh it's the two love birds… literally!"

Gerald looked at Arnold and said, "Look man, we're tight, but I don't know what makes her think…"

"That's not what she's talking about Gerald." Arnold sighed and interrupted him.

"What do you mean?" Gerald asked

"Last night at the fair, Helga and I went to the Tunnel of Love." Arnold sighed.

"Yeah, Phoebe and I were checking you two out from the popcorn stand. I'm guessing Helga's no Ruth Mcdugal?" Gerald said sarcastically

Arnold rolled his eyes as he explained, "She and I kissed in the tunnel."

"Well you already made love to Pataki, why would I find that so surprising?" Gerald shrugged.

"After I walked her home, I ran into both Rhonda and Nadine. I heard them laughing at something on Rhonda's phone, and just decided to ignore it, that is, until they stopped me." Arnold paused.

"Uh oh, this doesn't sound good." Gerald said.

"Rhonda showed me a picture that had been taken of Helga and I kissing in the tunnel. It won't be long before word about it gets spread around the school." Arnold explained.

"Mmm, mmm, mmmm. How'd she get it?" Gerald asked.

"Nadine started to spill the beans about Rhonda riding with Harold behind us. Which means he knows. Sid and Stinky were laughing at us at the cotton candy stand, which means they know. Who knows how fast word will get spread around now?!" Arnold panicked

"Relax man! I'm sure Rhonda was just pulling your leg. I mean what reason would she have to do that to you anyway?" Gerald said to him.

"She insisted to keep her title as "the coolest girl in school" it's her job to keep people up to date on fashion, romance, and gossip." Arnold explained.

"The coolest girl in school? She does realize we're not in grade school anymore right?" Gerald asked.

"Apparently not. What am I going to do? I wanted to tell Helga last night, but I didn't want to freak her out. She's having a hard enough time opening up to me as it is." Arnold said upsettingly.

"Maybe this will all blow over. Well I gotta get to class. See you later man." Gerald said.

As Arnold entered class, he wondered if anyone in any of Helga's classes had been tormenting her. _What if they're passing notes around about the picture? Or laughing and pointing at her behind her back? Or texting the picture to each other? Or…_

Suddenly, the bell rang. Arnold ran to the cafeteria to find Helga, not thinking about waiting for Gerald.

When he didn't see her right away, he wondered if she may be in the restroom crying? As he turned to head that way, he bumped right into Helga. "Sheesh Arnoldo! Where's the fire?!"

Arnold sighed with relief, "Im sorry Helga, I just got worried when I didn't see you anywhere."

"What were you so worried about?" Helga asked suspiciously

"Oh, he just wanted to make sure his lovebird wasn't off kissing anyone else." a familiar voice said from behind.

Helga's eyes widened with fear as Arnold's head dropped with remorse .

"W-h-a-t did you just say?!" Helga asked as she turned to face Rhonda.

"Don't try to deny it Helga, we know how much you enjoyed the Tunnel of Love!" Rhonda said.

"So, I went on the stupid ride, big deal! It's not like anything happened in there!" Helga exclaimed.

"Oh, I disagree…" Rhonda glared as she walked away.

"What did you tell them!" Helga turned to yell at Arnold

"I swear I didn't say anything, she found out on her own!" Arnold said, as his voice shook.

"Oh, so I'm assuming she has some sort of psychic sense to go along with that fashion sense of hers that would enable her to know what was going on in there between us?!" Helga shouted

Arnold sighed as he looked into Helga's petrified eyes and said, "She and Harold were riding in the boat behind us. When they saw what was going on, She took a picture of it."

"So, Lard Boy knows too! Who else?!" Helga snapped.

"I don't know exactly? She threatened to send the picture all over the school to keep her title as "coolest kid" but I haven't heard anything from any of the other students. Maybe she was just bluffing?" Arnold said hopefully

"She better have been, or you're going to get it!" Helga snapped, as she went to go find Phoebe.

Gerald approached Arnold as Helga walked off, "Well, looks like that went well, my friend." Gerald said sarcastically.

"At least she knows. I guess all I have to worry about now is whether or not she'll forgive me for it?" Arnold said sadly.

"Forgive you for what? You didn't do anything?" Gerald pointed out.

"Technically no, but I did keep it a secret from her. That's not what a relationship is about. I've got to make this right." Arnold said.

"Whatever you say Arnold." Gerald shook his head.

As Arnold was explaining things to Gerald, Helga was sitting angrily at another table with Phoebe. "I can't believe this Phoebe! I act like a girl for one night, and I become the laughing stock of the school! When we were kids, none of the girls liked me because I wasn't sensitive. Now they make fun of me for trying to be sensitive?! What is up with these morons?!"

"I'm so sorry this happened to you Helga. If being sensitive really isn't your thing however, then don't let them know this bothers you." Phoebe suggested

"How am I supposed to stay true to my character AND keep Arnold around? He doesn't want to be with some tomboyish freak like me, and I'm sick of putting on this girly girl charade!" Helga screamed

"Helga, he already knows about your true personality traits. Part of being in a relationship is accepting things about your mate, whether you like them or not. The idea of a relationship isn't for you to change who you are to make the other person happy. You can still make loving gestures to help each other out. Overall, just be yourself, and let him decide." Phoebe explained as Helga stared angrily at the table.

"Fine! I'll try anything at this point!" Helga scowled, as she glanced over to see Arnold sitting sadly with Gerald.

Helga thought about her promise to be more sensitive. She was letting an empty threat made by the Queen of Fashion ruin her chance for a healthy relationship with the boy of her dreams.

"Don't wait up for me Pheebs." Helga said as she left the table, in Arnold's direction. Gerald ate as Arnold sat and moped until he suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder, "Helga?"

"Doi!" She sneered

"Are you not upset anymore?" Arnold asked

"Let's take a walk after school." She said

"I can't wait!" Arnold said as he turned away.

"Hey! Where's my kiss?" Helga scowled.

Arnold turned to her, not believing what he had just heard, and how confidently she had just said it. He stood up to give her a long kiss. After kissing her, the two looked into each other's eyes as if they were the only two in the room.

"I'm so sorry," Arnold said.

"Me too, because I have to watch you two while I eat!" Gerald interrupted.

Helga rolled her eyes as she left; Arnold sat down next to Gerald with a lovesick grin on his face.

"Easy there Romeo, school's not out yet!" Gerald reminded him.

Finally, the bell rang, and it was time for their afternoon classes. As Helga took her seat in the back, she saw the pair she had seen at the front of the classroom the day before. The boy carried her books, shared his supplies, and stared at her the entire class period.

Helga thought about how if she was ever going to be as happy with Arnold as those two were with each other, she was going to have to quit caring about what other people thought of her. Who cares if Rhonda saw her? She saw her with the best boy in school.

At last, school was out. Rather than feeling the need to stop by her locker, she immediately headed outside to wait for Arnold.

As she waited outside the doors for him, Lila approached her. Helga rolled her eyes and turned the other cheek, hoping not to be bothered. "I'm ever so certain I just adored your picture Helga!"

Helga turned around suspiciously, as she asked, "What picture?!"

"Your Tunnel of Love picture with Arnold?! You two make just an ever so charming couple!" Lila exclaimed.

As Helga was about to relinquish her anger, she saw Arnold exiting the school. "Yeah, yeah, whatever! Now move it or lose it sister!" Helga snarled.

Arnold came over as Lila walked away, "What was that about?" he asked

"Apparently Ms Goody Two Shoes saw the picture. 'Guess the fashion princess wasn't bluffing about spreading the word." she sighed.

"I'm really sorry Helga, but I don't regret that night. I can't tell you how happy I am to be with you." Arnold smiled as he held her hand.

"Yeah, yeah, so we going to go on that walk or what?" Helga asked.

"I've actually got some homework I need to get done. Would you like to come back to my place with me?" Arnold said hopefully.

"Sure why not? I've got some things to knock out as well." Helga answered.

The two walked down the street, enjoying each other's company.

"So Rhonda was riding the Tunnel with Pink boy huh? It's too bad no one got a shot of that?" Helga said.

"Yeah, too be honest, I don't know why someone who cares about being cool as much as she does would risk being seen on a ride like that with a guy like him?" Arnold thought to himself out loud

"Ptttt… because she's just a better looking version of that idiot?" Helga insisted.

"Haha...look, there's the flower shop?" Arnold pointed out, without thinking.

"Yeah, so?" Helga said, while knowing what he must be thinking.

"Do you want to stop inside?" he asked nervously.

"Not unless your homework assignments require them." Helga snapped.

Arnold smiled as he took her into the boarding house. The swarm of pets passed when he opened the door, as he heard Helga say, "So, when are you planning on selling some of these animals?"

"You're welcome to keep one if you like?" He said jokingly

"Oh shut up, Arnoldo!" she said as they passed the kitchen.

"That you shortman and shortman's girlfriend?!" Phil asked

Helga blushed as Arnold said, "Yeah it's us grandpa, and her name is Helga."

"As long as he doesn't call me Olga, I really don't care." Helga insisted.

"Olga? What the heck kind of name is that? Sounds like one of those goofy names your grandma uses when she's wearing those crazy costumes of hers" Phil said

"Uhhhh right grandpa. Anyway, we'll be upstairs doing our homework." said Arnold, as he lead Helga upstairs.

Arnold opened the door to let Helga inside as she immediately sat down on the bed. "So what homework do you have football head?"

"I really just have to answer a few calculus questions. It's not that many, but you never know how long math will take if you don't understand it." Arnold said.

"Anything will take long if you don't understand it, doi!" Helga pointed out.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. What homework do you have?" Arnold asked.

"Nothing that should take too long." Helga insisted

Arnold sat at his computer desk, looking over his assignment; limits and infiestiminals. As his mind worked through what seemed like pointless information, his eyes wandered across the room. Rather than requiring the assistance of a calculator, Helga's assignment seemed to be about free-thinking. Arnold watched her sit and stare at the same piece of paper she was reviewing when he started his first problem.

When Arnold finished his Calculus, he left the desk to she what Helga was working on, over on the bed. "Well, I'm finished with my Calculus."

"Oh, great, I'm done too!" She said, as she tried hiding her paper.

"What is that you're working on?" Arnold asked

"None of your business, Arnoldo!"

The two fought, until Arnold was able to snatch the paper from Helga. It wasn't the poem she had been working on. Instead it was a list of other traits…

Jealous

Possessive

Obsessive

Suspicious

Moody

Short tempered

Vengeful

Skeptical

Arrogant

Impatient

Stubborn

"What's this list of traits for?" he asked

Helga snatched the paper back as she explained, "The teacher made us reveal our trait topics today in class. When I told her I chose mine to be that I'm invulnerable, she said that can be just as admirable of a quality as it can be frustrating. I realized she was right. Which might be, why I'm having such a hard time changing myself. Therefore, I thought maybe I should consider choosing another trait to write about. I haven't made up my mind however."

Arnold took the paper from her and set it on the floor. He turned her face towards his as he said, "I don't think it's fair for her to make the class do this assignment."

"Why is that?" Helga asked

"Because you're perfect, just the way you are!" Arnold said as he kissed her.

At that moment Helga thought about what Phoebe had said to her in the cafeteria. That while it is nice to make loving gestures in a relationship, she should above all be herself for Arnold.

Helga pulled him onto the bed with her, "I love your ability to overlook my negativity!" she said as she pulled off his shirt. "I love that you're as aggressive as you are sensitive!" Arnold said as he took off Helga's shirt.

"You haven't seen aggressive yet football head!" she smirked as she took off his pants.

"Don't make me… Oh you're not wearing your ribbon today." Arnold paused as she gave him a wicked laugh.

"That's okay though. Being the vulnerable one last time, turned out to not be such a terrible thing. You can be in charge whenever we do this...well most of the time." Helga laughed.

Arnold smiled as he pulled off her pants and said, "I'm going to enjoy this."

As he pressed his lips against hers, he slid his hands under her bra. Chills traveled up her side as he caressed her breasts. Not being able to completely take his lips off hers, he asked, "Where is it?"

She pulled away to ask, "Where is what?"

"Your locket?" he said curiously.

Helga smiled at him and said, "After last night, I thought it would be best to keep it in my room, in case we had another moment like that."

Arnold took off her bra as he began to kiss her chest and said, "I like being close to your heart."

She rubbed his back as she whisper in his ear, "You've always been a part of it."

Arnold went to get a condemn as she took off her underwear. He put it on as Helga said, "I wonder how different this will be, now that my hands are free?"

Arnold glared and said, "Hey, I'm still in charge, remember?" as he began to spread her legs.

"Yea, yea, just don't flaaa…" Helga's thoughts were interrupted as Arnold slid his member inside her. Last night, Helga's thoughts were based on whether or not she was emotionally ready for a relationship with Arnold. Now all she could think about was how amazing it felt to be with him.

Arnold rubbed harder as he watched Helga tremble. She squeezed the sheets of his bed harder every time he rubbed her harder. When he saw how heavy she was breathing, he slowed down and leaned over to kiss her. She laid there with her arms stretched across the bed, while one of his hands was wrapped around her waist, pulling her in tighter and the other was around her head, not letting her lips escape his.

He then released their lips, as he said to her, "Now, what were you saying, before I started?"

Helga waited to catch her breath, until finally she said, "Uhhh, I've had better."

Arnold rolled his eyes as he said, "Whatever you say Helga."

He laid his head down on her chest and closed his eyes, with a peaceful smile on his face. As Helga rubbed his back, she looked up at the ceiling, thoughts racing through her mind…

 _Why does he love me, so much? I've done nothing to deserve him! While I fear acting sensitive will hurt my dark reputation, dating someone like me has already left a huge mark on his? How can he not be bothered by that?_

"Hey, Arnold?" Helga asked as she broke the silence. He lifted his head and looked into her eyes as she asked him, "What is it about me that you love so much?"

He looked at her with eyes full of confusion as he asked, "What are you talking about?"

"When we were kids, you were more turned on by people like Little Miss Perfect, or Summer. You know, the 'girly girl' types. I'm nothing like them, and probably never will be. So what is it about me that you're so fixated on?" she asked desperate to know.

"Helga, after you helped me find my parents, I took into consideration the fact that just because people have different qualities, it doesn't make them any less valuable. You may not be a 'girly girl' but you have plenty of qualities that are far more admirable than that."

"Pttt… like what?" she asked.

"You're, brave, loyal, smart, poetic, independent" Helga smiled as Arnold continued to list positive qualities she possessed, "and pretty good in bed I must say." he whispered in her ear.

As her eyes widened, she pushed him away and asked, "What do you mean 'pretty' good?"

Arnold laughed at her angry look as he said, "Come on, I'm hungry; let's get something to eat!"

As they walked downstairs, they past the boarders having dinner. "Hey arnold! You gonna join us?!" Ernie asked.

Helga stared at them uncomfortably until Arnold responded, "No, I think I'm going to take Helga out to eat somewhere."

The two of them left the apartment, holding hands quietly under the stars. Arnold walked with her thinking about how lucky he was that she had forgiven him. Not only was she modifying her dominate behavior to expose the closeness of their relationship, just for him. She had been willing to overlook the drama which came from it all (her greatest fear).

Although he felt a great deal of excitement when their love was exposed to everyone, he had begun to realize more and more how much he loved her just the way she was. Loving her just as she came meant loving, let alone being ok, with her insecurities to share her open emotions. Loving her just as she was meant being ok with her saving her soft side for the people she cared about the most. If what he said was true about it being unfair for her teacher to have them pick something to change about themselves, it would mean accepting that she may not always be willing to open up to him.

Helga looked up at the sky, thinking about how much had changed the past two days. Although she had felt in her heart the past few years that Arnold belonged to her, it wasn't until yesterday it was confirmed. The most admirable boy in school belonged to her, with all her secrets revealed. After thinking about Arnold's pleasure for her, and her teacher's response to the poem, she was at a loss with choosing a topic.

Suddenly, her thoughts were interrupted as she heard, "Hey, there's the Steakhouse! You want to eat there?"

Helga's mind flashed back to when her dad had a heart attack there when she and Arnold were in fourth grade.

"Okay, but you better not choke and have an early midlife crisis football head!"

Arnold laughed as he said, "I'll do my best Helga."

As the two entered, they heard loud country music to match the restaurant played to match the ranch like setting that was created. Helga rolled her eyes annoyed as she said, "This place tries way too hard."

"What do you mean?" Arnold asked as they waited to be seated.

Helga gave him a questioning look as she explained, "Just look at all the the cheap country merchandise they have around this place. Cowboy hats hanging on every inch of the wall, horseshoe prints on the floor leading you in the direction of every other table, menus shaped like bulls, oh and let's not forget this lame music they've got playing in the background to remind you you're nowhere near the city."

"I guess you have a point. It's a theme restaurant though, you have to expect that. Should we go somewhere else?" Arnold suggested.

"Nah, the food will make up for the crappy environment." Helga insisted

Just then, the hostess turned to the two of them and said, "We have a booth for the two of you."

As they followed the waitress, Helga noticed Harold on a date with Big Patty.

"Oh man, look at Lard Boy going after his plate as if there was no tomorrow!" Helga pointed out to Arnold. Arnold smiled as he shrugged his shoulders and said, "Well, you said yourself the food here was good."

"It's good, but you guys act as though a couple of bar-b-que ribs are worth sacrificing your actual ribs!" Helga countered angrily.

"Here are your menus. The waitress will be with you shortly!" The hostess said as she seated them.

"I think I remember grandpa saying he took grandma on a date here once. Which might explain why she's always dressing like a cowgirl and imagining the boarding house as a western setting." Arnold said.

"Oh brother" Helga said as she looked over in Harold and Patty's direction. "What does she see in him? I mean crimeny, he can't even keep his shirt pulled down?!"

Arnold rolled his eyes as he tried to come up with a solution to her frustration. "They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I had no idea the girl I would end up falling in love with would turn out to be aggressive, irritable, judgemental…"

"What's your point?!" Helga interrupted furiously.

"I let those qualities get in the way of seeing she's also the same girl who's intelligent, poetic, brave, and loyal." he finished as her face softened and eyes began to water with guilt.

"Arnold I…" wishing she could find the right words, Helga couldn't bring herself to look at Arnold.

He reached across the table to rest his hand on hers, as he added on, "Besides, when you truly care about someone, you may end up finding you have more in common with them than you think."

She smiled as she said, "Yeah, I guess I can see your point. I saw them as the Sundae Salon one day, as I was walking down the street. She may not have scarffed down her food as quick as him, but they seemed to be enjoying themselves. Maybe she'll be a good influence on him, like she was with Princess."

"What was she helping Rhonda with?" he asked.

"The Queen of Gossip bragged about getting to go to Madam Parvenue's Finishing School. Thinking it would be a place to get away from all the geeks in our school. The joke turned out to be on her though. Not only was Patty there, but Princess needed her help to pass the class. 'Pass' the class. Oh brother! Have you ever heard of such a thing? Grades based on Manners? Pttss!" Helga exclaimed.

"So, what can I get you folks to drink tonight?" the waitress asked as Arnold removed his hand and Helga slid her's under the table nervously.

"Uhhh we'll just have two Yahoo soda's please." Arnold said, not having even looked at the menu yet.

"Be right back darlin'!" she said happily, as Helga rolled her eyes.

"Well, I guess we should look at the menu. Despite the show Pink boy's been putting on over there, I almost forgot why we came." Helga said as she saw Arnold was already busy reading it.

"What's this Veggie-que sandwich?" Arnold pointed at confusingly.

"Oh, that's for chumps like Olga who are either too scared to get their hands dirty, or just can't stand the thought of hurting a precious, innocent animal. It's what she ordered the night Bob almost bought the farm. Too bad it wasn't her." Helga explained.

"That's a little harsh." Arnold responded.

"This just in Arnoldo, this is a rib joint! Why would someone come here to order vegetables? That's like going to the movies to read one of your books?!" Helga countered.

"You should try spending some quality time with your family." he suggested.

"If by quality you mean 'quantity' you're a few years too late on that bucko!" she said sarcastically.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked.

"Miriam left me alone with Bob during spring break in fourth grade, so we could spend quality time together… which he kept referring to as 'quantity' time. What an idiot!" she explained.

"So, I take it you didn't enjoy your time together?" Arnold hesitated to ask.

"Are you kidding? He took me to the Barber shop, Jenning's Hardware, and every other lame brain place a guy would enjoy that a girl wouldn't. Then to top it all off, he took me to the park to ride some sad pony!" she explained angrily.

"Oh yeah, I remember that day! You fell off the horse when my grandpa and I started to wave at you." Arnold reminded her.

Helga threw her head in her hands, embarrassed he remembered, as the waitress came up and said, "Well, here are your sodas. Have you two decided what you'd like to eat?" the waitress asked.

"I think I'll try this rib sandwich, with your famous bar-b-que sauce." he said hesitantly.

"Great choice! What about you darlin'?" she asked as she looked over to Helga.

"Yeah, just bring me a stack of ribs and a double order of fries on the side to go with them." she said confidently.

"I'll have that right out for ya'll!" The waitress said as Helga rolled her eyes.

"I think we've all eaten out enough times to know, 'I'll have that right out' means 30 to 45 minutes." Helga said to Arnold as he tried not to laugh.

"I'm sorry that week was so tough on you." Arnold said, smiling at her.

Helga rolled her eyes as she said, "It's not like being left alone with Miriam was much of a treat."

"When did that happen?" he asked.

"Mother's day weekend in fourth grade, Bob decided to bail on us when the three of us were all supposed to go visit my grandmother in South Dakota." she explained.

"So, you weren't happy being left alone with her either?" Arnold assumed.

"Our first night together was spent at some hotel called 'The Wheeler In' with a 'Big Guy's' restaurant that just happened to have a karaoke bar."

"Sounds like fun." he said, as Helga glared at him.

"Then, it doesn't exactly help that the woman can't keep her eyes on the road for more than five seconds when she's behind the wheel!" Helga complained.

"What was she looking at?" he asked

"After assuming 'I' would know how to get us to our destination, she took her eyes off the road to grab the paper she wrote the directions on. I had to steer her out of the way of a monster truck about to hit us! Then, the wind blew the directions out the window! Her back up plan turned out to be a map or Wanky Land!" Helga rolled her eyes in disbelief.

"So, did you ever make it to your grandma's?" he asked anxiously.

"After running the car off the road, and me having the pleasure of pushing it to the nearest mechanic, 'Stan's Car Repair Shop', she discovered she left her purse on top of the car back at 'Big Guy's.' The mechanic said it would cost $500 to fix the car!" she exclaimed.

"How did you managed to afford that?" he asked in disbelief.

"After I walked in to spend my last $5 on a cheeseburger at 'Floyd's Restaurant', she followed me in to show me a flyer for a mechanical bull contest they were having that night. First prize was $500." Helga explained.

"She must be pretty talented to have won something like that!" he insisted.

"I guess. She told me about all the things she did when she was a little girl. I guess 'some' good came out of that nightmare of a vacation!" she admitted.

An awkward silence then took place as Helga thought to herself, _I should really lay off this bad girl attitude. He admitted he's willing to look past them, but how long will that last?_

Arnold then noticed her start to rub her chest, as if she was feeling for something. He then remembered what she said about her locket.

"So, where DID you put your locket?" he asked curiously.

Helga's eyes widened as she began to rub her shoulder and answered, "I told you, it's in my room?"

"I know, but WHERE in your room?" he asked as though he was beginning to get irritated with her.

Helga looked at him suspiciously as she asked, "Why do you need to know?"

"I'm just curious. You had worn it since grade school. Even after showing it to me if 5th grade, you continued wearing it. Then, you decided to get rid of it, just because we slept together? It's almost as if you're hiding an even bigger secret from me. Did I do something wrong?" Arnold asked nervously.

Helga's eyes widened as she thought about how her insecurity had backfired. While Arnold was willing to accept the fact that she wasn't an open person, it wasn't going to stop him from questioning her feelings.

She gulped as she looked into his eyes and said, "It-it-it's in my closet."

"Your closet?" Arnold asked.

"What are you deaf? Yes my closet! Sheesh!" She scoffed.

As he gave her a hurt look he asked, "Why is it in there?"

She sighed as she hesitantly reached for his hand; struggling to make eye contact with him. "It's with my journals, and all the other loving possessions I have that remind me of you. All of which I look at every night before I go to sleep, and ready myself for another wonderful dream I may have about the two of us."

Arnold put his other hand on top of Helga's as he looked up at her, wanting desperately to kiss her. The waitress then appeared with their food. Only this time, Arnold wasn't nervous to be seen holding her hand.

"Well here y'all are! Enjoy!" the waitress said as she set their plates down, paying no attention to their hand holding.

"Finally! I'm starved!" Helga exclaimed.

"Me too!" Arnold added on.

Arnold took a small bite out of his burger, skeptical about how good their 'famous bar-b-que- sauce' really was.

"You know, this is actually pretty good!" he said as he looked up and saw Helga scarfing down her ribs. "What happened to, 'your food will still be there tomorrow'?"

Helga looked up from her plate with a smirk as she scowled, "Watch it Arnoldo, or I'll lock you in the closet with the rest of that crap!"

As he smiled at her, he put his hand on her thigh and said, "So instead of dreaming about me, you can actually spend every night with me?"

She pulled her leg away and nervously ate faster, thinking to herself _Why does talking about stuff like this with him still make me so uncomfortable?_

When the check came, Helga watched Arnold pay. He smiled at her, knowing she was not a fan of showing any sign of weakness. The two of them then headed out the door. As Arnold walked her home, he said, "I had a wonderful time tonight. Thank you for opening up to me more and more."

Helga blushed, knowing he knew how hard it was for her to have a loving attitude (no matter how deep her loving desires were).

Finally, they made it to Helga's porch. "Well, see ya tomorrow Arnold!"

Before she could make it in, he took her hand and held it to his chest. Helga lifted her eyebrow at him as she listened to him say, "Helga, I have to tell you, it really hurt when you said you quit wearing your locket. It made me feel like I wasn't a part of your heart anymore. That, or you were still too embarrassed to risk people knowing we're a couple. Then, I thought about how long you had it. Which meant all the years you loved me, before I ever thought about you. I can't imagine how much that must have hurt. I wish you hadn't been afraid to tell me how you felt. You can always tell me anything, and you'll always have a special place in my heart."

As Helga watched him turn to walked away, she brought up the courage to say, "Arnold wait!"

He turned around to hear her finish, "Would you like to come inside for a moment? I've got something to show you." Arnold smiled as he raced in without thinking twice.

As they entered the house, Arnold saw Bob had fallen asleep watching "The Wheel" on tv, while Miriam was passed out at the counter from another 'smoothie'. He whispered to Helga, "Should I come back another time?"

Helga said in a normal tone, "Nah they're out of it. At least Miriam is. Even if Bob does wake up, he won't notice us." She then lead Arnold up to her room.

As Helga lead Arnold down the hall, he began to turn into one of the bedrooms. "Hey! This way Arnoldo!"

"Oh, sorry. I thought that had to be your bedroom." Arnold said innocently.

"Ptttss… yeah right! That's Olga's room. I don't know why I haven't started using it to store all my extra things." Helga said sarcastically. She took him two doors further down the hall as she said, "THIS is my room!"

"Oh, I remember now." Arnold said as his memory flashed back to when he took care of Helga.

"Who's got amnesia now, hairboy?!" she exclaimed.

"Apparently, you didn't have it for that long." Arnold pointed out.

"Oh shut up!" she demanded as she invited him in.

Arnold smiled as he asked, "So, what did you want to show me?"

Helga sat down on her bed with her hands folded, as she twiddled her thumbs. Arnold looked at the worried look on her face as he asked, "What's going on?"

She sighed until finally she responded, "I want you to believe me when I say I want an open, honest relationship. This is all just new to me. I'm not that kind of person. While I might be dramatic and poetic, I'm not one to show it. It doesn't mean I don't have a sensitive, romantic side however."

Arnold looked at her confused as he put his hand on her shoulder and answered, "I already know that."

She then got up to open her closet door. Arnold watched her pull back the clothes until she signaled for him to come over.

There he saw piles of journals she had filled with poems about him. Every way he looked had pictures of his face hanging on the walls of the closet. In front of them were video tapes she had recorded of him scattered all over the floor. In the center of it all, a sculpture of his likeness made with a melon shaped head, leaf like hair, and a baseball cap. Finally, hanging on the wall behind it, was her locket.

Helga stood there blushing harder than she ever had before, filled with self hatred and regret. _Why did I show this to him? Telling him about it was more than enough! I could have found plenty of other ways to prove how much he means to me. I'm such an idiot!_

As Arnold was taking this all in, he glanced over at her and saw the hard time she was having in this situation. Before she could look up at him, he took her hand and said to her, "Thank you for showing me this."

Helga blushed as Arnold went on to say, "Maybe your locket does belong in here. We wouldn't want the Arnold shrine to be lonely."

"Oh zip it footba.." she began to say as Arnold kissed her.

"So how many of those shrines have you made?" he asked while continuing to examine it.

"Uhhh just a few" Helga said nervously, as Arnold rolled his eyes and said, "Whatever you say Helga." She continued to look at the floor, as Arnold took her hand and lead her over to the bed. As she sat there quietly with him, he asked, "What made you show this to me?".

Turning her head away from him, she replied, "I guess I just felt guilty."

"What do you mean guilty?" he asked.

"You've given me so many reasons to believe I could trust you. Even after I ended up confessing my feelings to you first, you were the one comfortable enough to act on them. I don't know if I'll ever be able to drop this 'bad girl' attitude I show to our friends, but hopefully now you see how much you really mean to me," Helga confessed, still too embarrassed to look at him.

Not knowing how to respond, Arnold turned her face towards his. He looked into her eyes as they watered and said, "I do wish you weren't afraid to show others how we feel about each other, but as long as 'we' know the truth about each other, that's all that really matters."

"I wish I could show my sensitive side Arnold, but I just can't. I can't let people know that they bother me. It's the most humiliating feeling in the world!" she exclaimed.

"Then why is it okay for you to make other people feel bad, if they aren't allowed to make you feel bad?" Arnold asked.

Helga sat there with a defeated look on her face, realizing her protective attitude over the years may have been a bit hypocritical. Yes, it was okay to defend herself when people attacked her, but was making it her every day nature really necessary? Hurt filled her heart, as she looked at Arnold knowing how unfair she had been to him. He patiently looked past her negativity, while she just remained relieved knowing he was willing to accept her as she was.

"You're right, and I'm sorry. Joy just filled my heart, when I knew I finally had you all to myself. I didn't feel the need to change anything else to be anymore content than that. You filled my heart with love and promises while I left your's angrily awaiting even the slightest bit of reassurance." she professed dramatically, as he interrupted.

"Ummm are you imagining me as one of your journals to write one of your heartfelt poems about me in?" He asked, while trying to hold back a laugh.

"Oh shut up, Arnoldo," she shoved him off the bed as he pulled her onto the floor with him. He laid on top of her, examining the sensitivity in her eyes, no one else ever had the pleasure of seeing. She closed her eyes, expecting him to kiss her as he leaned in closer. Instead, he whispered in her ear, "don't be afraid." Almost sure she was about to be the victim of another vulnerable sexual activity, she had to ask, "afraid of what?"

He sat up and stretched out his legs as he leaned against her bed. While doing so, Arnold pulled Helga into his lap to say to her, "You're always walking around saying, 'I'm Helga G. Pataki!'. You've basically, created a proud image of yourself for people to remember you by; that you're in charge and anyone who forgets it will be sorry!"

"What's your point?" Helga asked as she glared at him, while still keeping her arms wrapped around his neck.

"My point is, every time you let the thought of someone else's opinion scare you into acting a certain way, you're criticizing yourself. If Helga G. Pataki is really as brave and strong as she claims to be, she won't let a couple of teenage blabber mouths scare her into acting any way other than how she wishes to act. The whole mean girl thing itself is just an act. It's not who you really are. Why not show everyone you're tough enough to not let their opinions bother you, even if you act nice?"

Helga laid her head against Arnold's chest, trying not to cry. He stroked her hair, knowing the advice he had just given had to have hurt, but didn't regret doing it. She looked up at him as she asked, while fighting her tears, "What if THEY don't care? What's going to happen if I show them my true happiness comes from us being together, and all they continue to get out of it is humor?"

As he watched the sadness in her eyes he responded, "All that matters is…"

She interrupted with, "That we're together, yeah, yeah. Even if that's true, that doesn't mean I'm going to enjoy dealing with being picked on and criticized every day for the next year… and then who knows how long after that?! People expect that from you Arnold. You've always been the sensitive type. Whether or not it's true about me, that's the type of person everyone knows me to be. Which is why they'd get such a kick out of seeing me so excited about the idea of being in a relationship… and with you nonetheless!"

"Why did you emphasize with me?" he asked, as if uninterested in any of the other points she had made.

"Football head, think about it for a second! Think back to grade school! Yes all the kids picked on each other occasionally, but which pair stood out the most? Which two screamed natural born enemies?" Helga pointed out.

"Helga, I understand your concern, but people change. Everyone knows that. Look at Rhonda and Harold. Aside from us, those are the last two who seem fit to be together. Yet, Rhonda is perfectly okay with the idea of dating him. You seem to have the same problem she does however." Arnold explained, as he risked upsetting her.

"What are you talking about?!" she snapped.

"You're afraid to be seen with me, because it would give our classmates the opportunity to criticize your said to be 'tough' reputation.'" Arnold began to explain

"What's that got to do with Princess?" Helga interrupted

"Rhonda's careful not to let people find out about her and Harold, because it would destroy her 'cool girl' reputation." he finished explaining.

"If that's the way she feels, she must not be THAT okay with dating him." Helga countered, as she tried winning the argument.

"Does that mean you're not THAT okay with dating me?" Arnold asked, hoping she would at last see his point.

"Crimmeny! Why are you doing this to me? I thought you were going to accept me for who I am?!" she asked irritably.

"I do! I just want you to realize how much it still hurts me that you care more about the class' opinion of you than mine. Whose heart are you trying to win? It's as if you're working harder to keep their respect now than you worked to win my love back then." He said, as his heart filled with despair.

"I know! I know! I'm sorry! Sheesh! I promise I'll keep trying, but you can't expect me to change in one day! When I walk through those doors, acting all sweet and Lila like, I feel emotionally naked. It's as though my guard's been let down and I'm completely defenseless! If someone threw an insult my way, all I could do with that attitude is shake it off like it never happened. Everyone pointing their fingers and mocking me, the day they saw me express my feelings for you for the first time!" Helga explained to him as she dropped her arms and started to stand up.

Arnold stopped her as he wrapped his arms around her waist and said, "Let me ask you this, how do you think I felt in fourth grade?"

She lifted her eyebrow as she asked, "What do you mean?"

"Helga, what you're describing is exactly how you treated me. You mocked me, insulted me, picked on me for no reason. Did I ever retaliate? No. I just shook it off, and went about my business, whether what you did to me that day bothered me or not. It wasn't always easy, but it would have been worse if I had tried to fight back." Arnold insisted.

"How do you know football head? You couldn't have taken me!" She responded, hoping to win the argument.

"Do you remember that day you, me, Gerald, and Phoebe all had to work together on that Native American project for history?" he asked.

"You mean the day I glued feathers to your butt?" she asked, while trying not to laugh.

"Uhh right. Anyway, I kept telling you I wanted to help with the painting. Instead, you forced me to help Gerald with the clay sculpting…." he was interrupted as she said.

"Hey! He needed the help. Tall Hair boy is no craftsman!" she exclaimed.

"Not finished! A day later, I had had enough of you bossing me around. After you spilled paint on me, I decided to return the favor. I threw some back at you. Why I got in trouble and not you is beyond me, but if I had just let it go, things wouldn't have gotten as bad as they did." he finished, hoping he had made his point.

"Then I definitely shouldn't change my ways! If I act nice up until the point where I finally snap, who knows what might happen?" Helga said sarcastically.

"Whatever you say Helga" he said as he rolled his eyes.

As the two of them sat quietly for a moment, Helga wondered to herself if showing off proudly that she was in a relationship would really be such a big deal. She was able to deal with people criticizing her less than feminine behavior in grade school. Why would it matter to her if they criticized her for acting feminine now?

Arnold looked at her puzzled face as he thought to himself, maybe he had gone too far. How she acted around people was her business. It wasn't his place to change her. Perhaps he was just anxious for some reassurance that everything was okay between the two of them. Helga said she was in love with him, but she hadn't done much to prove it.

Helga looked over at Arnold and saw a new look in his eyes. It wasn't the same hurt he felt all those times she picked on him when they were kids. Rather than dreading her, he was now showing a look that cried out for her attention. She saw in his eyes, the pain she had experienced all the years she longed to find a way to get him to notice her. Here he was, pouring his heart out to her, as she did to him that night on the FTI building. Now she was looking for an excuse to keep everything she had waited for quiet, just as he did that day.

"I'm so sorry Arnold! I know how you feel; what you must be thinking! The first time I confessed, it was just as relieving to get it all off my chest as it was to hear you say, 'you don't really love me, right?' There's only one feeling worse than weakness, and it's rejection. Which is why I couldn't admit anything to you. I couldn't risk the embarrassment of having my feelings for you thrown back into my face!" she explained.

"What does that have to do with the class' opinion about our relationship?" he asked.

"I just want you to know, my being a weak person on the inside has nothing to do with my feelings for you. Just because I'm not comfortable with showing the class who I am, it will never change how I feel about you. You're the one good thing that holds me up when everything else in my sad life pulls me down. The reason I have to get up in the morning. The escape route which distracts my mind from the miserable setting my life has been placed in. You're the strong foundation for my weak soul… NEVER leave me!" she begged him with a look of desperation in her eyes.

"But Helga, that's exactly what I'm trying to make you understand… you're NOT a weak person! If you were strong enough to travel the road that you did alone, why does holding my hand down this new road seem so much tougher?" he asked as she struggled to come up with an explanation. Not being able to come up with an excuse, she looked over at the clock and said, "It's getting late, you probably want to head home and get some sleep."

Arnold sighed as the two of them stood up. She walked him down the stairs, seeing her parents were right where she left them. Arnold tripped over a chair, making a loud noise, as Miriam barely budged. "Sorry about that," he apologized as Helga scoffed and said, "Unless she hears the words 'the blender is broken,' you're safe. Even then, I still wouldn't care." Helga insisted.

She opened the door for him as she began to rub her arm, "Well, I had a good time tonight. I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah, see you at school." he responded.

Helga closed the door as tears began to stream down her face. She raced up to her room, not understanding what her problem was. The love of her life was reaching out to her, and she was letting everyone else's opinion in the world matter except for his. Every step he willingly took toward her, she perturbingly took two steps back. As she made it to her room, she threw herself on the bed and looked up at the ceiling. _Why is Arnold's opinion the one I seem to be the least concerned about?_

As Arnold walked down the street, he thought to himself, _Why can't I let this insecurity thing go? If that's who Helga is, I just have to accept it. If we were meant to be together, she'll come around eventually._

Suddenly, his thoughts were interrupted as he bumped into an old acquaintance. "Are you okay… Summer! What are you doing here?" he asked shockingly.

"Well, I must say after you blew me off to work with that other girl in the sand castle contest, my heart was crushed." she began

"Right." he said sarcastically

"But then, Johnny Stitch asked me to be his new IT Girl! Forget one episode of 'Babe Watch'! This is a lifetime of modeling!" she exclaimed.

"Um… you do realize he'll eventually pick a new person when your ratings go down, right?" Arnold pointed out.

"Oh, we'll see about that!" Summer assured him.

"Uh huh… well I got to get home. It was good to see you, I guess." Arnold said as he began to walk away.

"Hold on a moment Arnold!"

Arnold turned as Summer grabbed and kissed him. As he struggled to pull away, she kissed him harder. When she finally released, Arnold stood there in shock as he listened to her say, "Let's see how the other girl feels about you now?"

When Arnold finally snapped out of it, he began walking home, debating on whether or not to call Helga. He felt it was too late to continue bothering her, but he wouldn't be able to sleep for the rest of the night.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Spur Of The Moment

The next morning finally arrived, and Arnold rushed to get ready for school. With Summer kissing him being the only thing on his mind, he didn't care to sit down for breakfast on his way out.

"Whoa! Where ya goin' Shortman!" Grandpa asked

"I've got to get to school grandpa." he said, heading for the door.

"You're skipping breakfast again? You're slim enough aren't you?" Grandpa pointed out.

"Fine, I'll take this apple. See you guys later!" Arnold said as he raced out the front door.

As Arnold raced to the bus stop corner, an all too familiar incident occurred… "thump!"

He and Helga bumped into each other, as they both fell to the ground, dropping their things. "Arnold!" she exclaimed. He anxiously helped her to her feet before either of them could give her a chance to add on an insult.

While getting ready to ask if she was okay, his words changed to "Helga, this might sound crazy, but do you want to skip school today?"

"I'm guessing this is a spur of the moment decision, seeing as how you're already carrying your backpack?" she pointed out.

"Well, kind of. I feel bad about last night. Also, we don't get to see each other much at school." He took her hand as he explained this, hoping she would agree to spend the day with him.

"Sure, why not football head?" she said, anxious to see what he may have in store for them that day.

Meanwhile, on the bus, the rest of the kids were noticing an empty seat with two missing students. "Where's my main man Arnold?" Gerald asked.

"I'm not sure? Helga didn't say anything about skipping school today. I hope all is well between them," Phoebe said worrisomely.

"I saw them at The Steakhouse last night. Helga's a really sloppy eater! Bwahaha!" Harold butted in.

"Harold, when you eat, more food ends up on your face than it does in your stomach!" Rhonda pointed out.

"And yet, you still love…." Nadine began as Rhonda covered her mouth.

"Mm, mm, mmm… Well, wherever they are, the conversation's got to be better than this." Gerald insisted.

Not knowing where Arnold was taking her, Helga was happy to have more personal time to spend with him. All night she had dreaded the thought of sitting through her classes away from him after the way they had ended their conversation the night before.

"I have to tell you something Helga." Arnold said as he wrapped his free hand around his neck, rubbing it nervously.

"This doesn't sound too promising. What's it been, ten hours since we last saw each other, and you've already cheated on me?" she said sarcastically.

"Well…." Arnold began

Helga's eyes lit up as her grip on his hand loosened.

"You remember when we ran into each other at the beach in fourth grade, during one of our school breaks?" he asked

"Yeahh…." she questioned.

"Do you remember the girl who tried using me to win the sand castle competition?" he asked.

"You mean Autumn?" she asked irritably.

"It was actually Summer, and yes." he corrected her

"Okay, so what about her?!" she exclaimed.

"After I left your house last night, I ran into her. She said she's in town being Johnny Stitch's new IT Girl." Arnold explained.

"Well, Johnny does have it out for the bad girls." Helga pointed out. "What's that got to do with us though?"

"When I began to walk away from her, she grabbed me and kissed me. I think she did it to make me look bad to you, because you made her look bad to me." Arnold explained, hoping Helga would understand.

Helga stayed silent for a moment. While Arnold wanted to make things better as soon as possible, he didn't want to pressure her into forgiving him. At last she spoke up.

"Last night after you left, I ran upstairs crying, and asked myself why your opinion is the one I seem to be the least concerned about when it comes to anything?" she told him.

Arnold's eyes widened as he asked, "Did you figure it out?"

"I think it's because I've been taking you for granted. I see that you're at last mine, therefore I don't feel the need to work as hard as I felt I had to to win you over. You've always been such a kind person, I didn't feel I had to worry about one little negative slip up ending things between us. One positive change in my publically known personality would be something I felt I had to worry about. Very few kids we go to school with have as mature of an attitude as you do." Helga said softly.

Arnold stopped walking, as he turned to her to say, "You haven't been taking me for granted Helga. If that was true, I would have stopped talking to you a long time ago. I just wish there was something I could do to help you overcome your fear of losing your reputation. The pain you experienced from the unrequited love you felt for me when we were kids, is the same pain I feel every time you decline the chance to express your feelings for me."

"I'm holding your hand in public… in broad daylight! How much more touchy feely can a person get?! Sheesh!" Helga exclaimed.

"You're right. Why don't you give me my hand back, so I can see just how touchy feely it's acceptable to be in broad daylight." Arnold said as he wrapped his arm around Helga's waist. She felt herself beginning to tremble, but was able to keep herself from pushing him away.

As they continued walking, he noticed the uneasiness in her eyes. While watching them shift back and forth, he said, "Why don't you set your head down on my shoulder?"

"Why would I do that? It's not nap time." she said nervously.

He rolled his eyes at her rude remark and decided to set it down for her. There they were walking, with his arm around her waist and her head resting on his shoulder. He could hear her breathing as hard as she could feel her heart pounding. To distract herself from the awkwardness she felt the situation was bringing, she asked, "So, do you know yet where we're going?"

"I thought we could go to the aquarium. They are supposed to have a new exhibit to replace Lockjaw." Arnold suggested.

"Lockjaw? You mean that dumb turtle you and your grandma saved?" Helga sneered as she lifted her head, forgetting for a second about how close they were.

"How did you know it was US who saved him? Arnold asked, knowing he shouldn't be surprised.

"Uhhh… well who else has the same love affair for animals as you do, football head?" Helga responded nervously; hoping we would accept her poorly thought up excuse.

"Was there anywhere you DIDN'T follow me, when we were kids?" he asked, knowing he'd be sorry.

"Shut up Arnoldo!" she screamed as she began to pull away from him. As she struggled to let loose, he pulled her in tighter and said, "I'm never helping YOU escape."

Helga felt her heart flutter as she listened to those words, and started to get used to the idea of being held in public. At last they made it to the entrance. The sign on the front door showed a display for their new exhibit, "Hammer: The hammerhead shark!"

"So… this is the must see exhibit? I got a show for everyone 'Football head falls in love with Hammerhead!'" she said sarcastically.

"Very funny Helga," he said as he took his arm off her to purchase their passes.

"I don't think I've been to this place since our lame-o fourth grade field trip?" she said.

"Sure you have. The night you followed my grandma and I here," Arnold laughed, hoping she wouldn't hit him too hard.

"Watch it hairboy! Or I'll take one of my tapes and make your face even flatter… if that's possible." she scoffed.

The two of them walked through the exhibits, looking at the fish, until Helga broke the silence. "What about you? Have you had a decent excuse to come here since that day?"

"Yeah, Gerald and I brought Eugene here once or twice." Arnold admitted.

"I guess this place could use one more geeky attraction." she smirked.

Arnold rolled his eyes as he asked, "Do you remember show and tell in Mr. Simmons class?"

"You mean Snore and Tell?" she corrected him.

"Anyway, if you were awake during it, you might remember the time I killed his fish with my yoyo." he said unsurably.

"There are so many things wrong with that statement… but yes." she assured him.

"I just felt terrible. I had to do something to make it up to him.." Arnold looked back full of guilt.

"So you brought him here? Seems like the logical thing to do." she said sarcastically.

"Actually, I decided to talk to the people who work here. I made it official for one of the angelfish here to be Eugene's pet. I'm not sure if he still comes to see her, or if the fish is still alive. Every time Eugene did visit, something bad happened to it." Arnold explained.

"Oh brother. I don't know what's more pathetic; how noble you are or how unlucky he is." she responded.

They finally reached the end of the walkway, where 'Hammer's' show was starting.

"Well, this is it. The main attraction has arrived." Helga said.

"Yep, let's go see him!" Arnold said excitedly.

"I was talking about you, football head." she smirked.

"Whatever you say Helga" he sighed as he grabbed her hand, leading her in. They took a seat on the middle of the center row of the bleachers. It wasn't hard finding a seat with everyone either at school or work that time of the day.

"Would you like to sit here?" asked Arnold

"Works for me." Helga said.

As Helga sat with her hands folded in her lap, waiting for the show to start, Arnold put his hand on her right thigh. She looked around, noticing they were the only two at the show. When she didn't make him remove his hand, he began to massage her leg. A smile formed on her face, as she sighed softly and happily to herself. Suddenly, her thoughts were interrupted.

"Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you, Hammer!"

At that moment, Hammer shot from the tank to catch a fish the performer threw."

"It wouldn't shock me if that was Eugene's fish, the shark just ate." Helga said sarcastically, as Arnold tried not to laugh. As the performer instructed Hammer to do tricks in the air, Arnold moved closer, to wrap his arm around Helga. Not caring if the performer saw them, Helga put her hand on Arnold's leg. She slowly began to rub it, as she continued thinking about how happy she was to be with him. How lucky she was to be with someone so understanding about her mixed feelings. Someone so considerate of the time it would take her to open up to him.

She removed her hand and turned to watch the show. "I might suggest they add a dolphin to battle the shark. To make the sho.." she was interrupted as he leaned in to kiss her. As he plunged his tongue down her throat, she forgot they were in public. All she could think about was how unbelievable it was that his heart was finally as close to hers as she had dreamed it may one day be. _Am I really willing to risk losing this?_ She thought to herself.

The show ended just as the two of them released their lips. "So, what did you think of the show? Or from what you saw of it at least?" Arnold laughed; feeling a bit guilty about distracting her from it.

"I told you you'd be part of the show!" She said sarcastically, as the two looked at each other with love in their eyes.

He shook his head, as he helped her out of her seat and said, "Come on, let's get out of here."

"Where to now, football head?" she asked confidently yet curiously.

"What time is it?" he asked.

Helga looked down at her watch to see it was twelve fifteen. "Quarter past noon. Which means, Pheebs and Geraldo must be 'gettin it on' in the cafeteria."

"Well, he does love her." Arnold pointed out, as he began to rub Helga's hand.

She looked down, thinking about how the two of them compared to Gerald and Phoebe. Then responded, "Yeah, she's pretty fond of him too. So, do you know yet where we are going?"

"I'm a little hungry, are you?" he asked.

"I could eat." she said.

"I was thinking we could go to Mixtas Hot Dogs. We could grab a corn dog, and sit at the docks. Grandpa and I always enjoy sitting on the bridge and watching the sunset on the water." Arnold suggested.

"Sheesh Arnoldo, what is it with you and fish today?" Helga asked.

"Hey, I'm just making a suggestion. It's better than school." he said defensively.

"True. Alright, let's go." she said.

The two of them walked down the street hand in hand, sure they wouldn't have to worry about seeing any familiar faces. Suddenly, they heard an all too familiar voice, as they passed by "The Fudge Place."

"BABY SISTER!"

Helga's shoulders tensed as she let go of Arnold's hand. She turned around to find herself locked in Olga's arms. "What are you doing here?" she scowled.

"I'm buying a cake to celebrate the big news I have to announce at dinner tonight!" Olga screeched with joy.

"Why don't you just bake it, Ms. Perfect?!" Helga said sarcastically.

"Oh! Believe me, I was going to! But when I stopped at the grocery store, they were out of that yummy French chocolate creme that daddy is in love with. I didn't want to disappoint him!" she exclaimed.

"Oh yeah… we definitely can't have that!" Helga said sarcastically.

"Well, I best be going. See you tonight baby sister!" she said happily, as she walked away.

"See you in hell is more like it," Helga whispered to Arnold, as they continued on their way to the docks.

"You really don't care for her do you?" he asked.

Helga stopped walking as she raised her arms in fury. "Arnold! How many times do I have to explain what my home life is like, and how my parents have always favored her over me?!" she said irritably.

Hearing the frustration in her voice along with the anger in her eyes brought on a strong piece of empathy. "I know, and I'm sorry. I just think it's sad. I've never had a sibling, but I assume if I did, I would enjoy their company. All families are different I guess." he thought out loud.

Placing her hands on her hips, she turned back to look in Olga's direction. "You got that right bucko!" she agreed.

Watching her stand with her reflecting on her home life, Arnold couldn't help but push his luck. If they were ever going to get closer, taking risks in situations such as these would come with the territory. "Umm Helga?"

Turning to look at him full of annoyance, she asked, "What?!"

Not knowing quite how to start, he hesitated with his arm behind his neck, "I… um..well what I mean is. I was just wondering?"

Full of agitation, staring at him being unable to make eye contact with her, she crossed her arms and demanded "Spit it out football head!"

He took a deep breath, finally able to find his words. Letting out a calm sigh, he looked up at her blue eyes and asked "Helga, you never did tell me how you and your family got the money to move back into your house?"

Her eyes lit up as far as they could, while still keeping her arms crossed. "What are you talking about?"

Not regretting his nosiness, Arnold continued, "I just couldn't help but notice your dad's business hasn't exactly bounced back yet."

Her eyes moving from fear to fury, she scowled, "What's your point?!"

A bit of annoyance filled his mind, knowing she had to know where he was going with this. "I'm just wondering how you were able to afford moving back into your house, if your dad's business hasn't officially reopened yet?"

Helga sighed, facing his concerned eyes with her frustrated ones. Not knowing whether to be touched by his concern, or outraged by his prying.

"You want an answer? You just missed it!" she scowled, pointing in the direction of her life long loathed sibling.

Shrugging his shoulders, Arnold's eyes turned from concerned to confused. "What does your sister have to do with anything?"

Tempted not to show any empathy for his density, she rolled her eyes and asked, "Remember her perfect butt joining us on the trip to San Lorenzo?"

Seeing Arnold listening carefully, Helga continued on with her story.

"Well, she stopped by the store, or should I say 'home' on the way back to Alaska, having no idea it was where we were living. Normally Bob's not the type to accept help for anyone! Olga's the only person he would make an exception for when it comes to anything! He'd give up beepers and work for a fashion store is SHE asked him to!"

Despite the pain he could see she was in, hearing her vent her problems was a huge step Arnold felt. "Go on." he softly encouraged her.

Feeling she had nothing to lose at that point, "Olga insisted she send Bob half her paychecks from Alaska to get him back on his feet. Which she's been doing ever since! While we've gotten a free ride to the house, there's still no way he's letting go of the store. His new plans are supposed to have it open within the next few days. Let's see how long it takes for this idea to blow over!" she scowled.

Not knowing quite what to say, Arnold stood there in silence. While being as happy as he was she was opening up to him about her home life, he could see how miserable she still was. It didn't matter where they were living, she was seen as second place. Both to her dad's work and her sister. That's how it had always been and always would be.

Seeing she had nothing left to say on the subject, he finally broke the silence. "I wonder what her big news is?" he asked curiously.

"Probably that she's discovered a cure for cancer, and they've named the cure after her." she said sarcastically, rolling her eyes on the matter.

Arnold laughed as he took back her hand. She would never be seen as second in his eyes. "So, 'The Fudge Place,' I don't think I've ever been in there?"

"Must deserve a five star rating if she felt it was fit to replace her cooking." Helga scowled, thinking of how pleased Bob always was with Olga's cooking.

"I think the closest I've come is that trip we took to the 'Yahoo Chocolate Factory' in fourth grade." Arnold guessed.

"You mean the one where pink boy decided to see if he could eat as much as he weighed?" she asked, thinking back to the fury she felt when the two of them missed the bus back to school.

"Right, and chocolate boy snuck out there with us." Arnold added on, as he traced back the memory.

"Oh brother, what an idiot. Almost as big an idiot as Harold." Helga snapped, seeing no reason why any of their former classmates deserved credit for any sign of intelligence.

"What made you two miss the bus anyway?" not expecting something so irresponsible to happen to Helga.

"I was the first person seated on the bus, anxious to go to Wrestle Mania that night. Lard boy on the other hand had no idea the class was leaving. When I saw his absence could hold up the bus, I left to go grab him. Turned out my concern for him was pointless, since no one even noticed we were gone." she explained, clenching her fists on the matter.

"I noticed!" Arnold admitted excitedly, hoping to show her how much he cared.

"You did?" she asked shockingly, cocking part of her eyebrow.

"It didn't seem right that no one was shooting spitballs at my head on the ride back home. When I figured out what was missing, I immediately told Mr. Simmons. We turned around, but you two were long gone when we made it back to the factory." Arnold explained, thinking about his concern for her that day.

"See! Those spitballs came in handy all those years after all football head!" she said, as she pointed a finger in his face.

As Arnold rolled his eyes, he asked, "So, how did you two make it home?"

"After taking the wrong bus, subway and stealing a clown's bike, we ended up on what I was sure was the middle of nowhere. Then Harold dragged me into what turned out to be Wrestle Mania. He said his cousin was a security guard there, and let him in all the time." she said, realizing in the end, it wasn't as bad as it seemed.

"I gotta say, I was pretty relieved when I saw you in class the next day." Arnold admitted as he smiled at her.

Helga began to blush as she looked down at their hands. "There's the hotdog stand. We gonna get one or what?"

Arnold let go of Helga's hand as he went up to the stand to buy them some corn dogs and yahoo sodas. Helga stood there wondering what was going on at school, while at the same time, loving the free time she was getting to spend with Arnold. She then felt a hand on her shoulder.

"It's about time footba...Arnie?! What are you doing here?!" she gasped.

"Hi Helga. Is Arnold around?" he snorted.

Just then, Arnold walked up with their food. "Oh, hey Arnie! I thought you left town last week?"

"I. Snort. saw an arcade with a gumball machine. I- snort - wanted to try to get all the flavors, but I didn't have enough quarters. I told the hotel across the street - snort - I'd clean out the lent traps in the laundry room if they gave me some quarters." He explained, keeping his unamused look on his face.

"That's uh cool I guess. I know you like to collect lent." Arnold answered, embarrassed to hear this in front of Helga.

"Yeah - snort - Well I'll leave you two alone." Arnie said, walking back towards the arcade.

"Crimeny! I can't believe someone that sad even exists." Helga insisted, placing a hand on her hip.

"What I can't believe is that Lila chose him over me!" Arnold responded, still holding their food.

"He needed someone to straighten him up; who better than Ms. Perfect?" she said sarcastically, reminding Arnold his uninteresting cousin ended up with the most coveted girl in the class.

"Very funny Helga. It's not like she had any influence on him anyway. Lila said he dumped her. She never told me why though?" Arnold remembered, wondering what the reason could have been.

"She didn't?" Helga asked surprisingly, as she lifted her eyebrow.

"No, why? Do you know something?" he asked, not realizing how close he moved to her.

"Think for a second Arnoldo! Why did you leave the table you and I were sitting at?" Helga scowled, waiting for him to catch a clue.

"Well, I do remember him asking if he could speak to you alone for a moment. I think that was when I went to go check on Lila." Arnold tried putting two and two together.

"Doi! While you were checking up on Little Miss Perfect, Arnie was busy throwing his lent-filled feelings at me!" Helga said filled with repulse.

"You? You mean?" Arnold paused

"That's right hairboy! He dumped Lila, thinking he had a chance with me?! I can tell you right now, it'll be a sad day in hell before you see Helga G. Pataki with a loser like that!" she assured him.

"Wow! Well I guess that means I wasn't a loser to you after all." Arnold caught her in her tracks, as she continued to play it cool.

"What are you talking about Arnoldo?" she said, raising her eyebrow.

"Now that that day's coming back to me, perhaps you remember coming up to me on the bus." Arnold asked.

"What are you getting at?" she asked impatiently.

"You insisted the only way to get Lila to come crawling back to me, would be to pretend to be in love with another girl." Arnold began to explain.

"So what?" she said.

"You came up with a reason for me to turn down every girl I listed until I finally agreed to date you." he finished, excitingly pointing out she had no excuse but to admit her plan that day..

"And?" she asked, pretending to keep her cool.

"If Helga G. Pataki can't be seen with a loser, I must not have been a loser to you back then." he said, proud of the way he cornered her.

"Oh shut up football head! I think I've made it clear over the years how I've always felt about you, and that my negative behavior was nothing more than a way to cover up my true feelings for you!" she reminded him, feeling it was unnecessary, as the two of them took their food over to the docks. They sat down on the edge of the bridge and looked over at Elk Island.

"How about sending your weirdo cousin to live on Elk Island with Wheezin Ed, football head?" she said sarcastically.

"Brainy seems like the better choice." Arnold suggested.

"Crimeny, don't get me started on him!" Helga insisted.

"Remember the trip we took with our friends out there?" Arnold asked.

"You mean when those two moronic thefts decided to run a counterfeit penny scam? Yeah, all too well." she replied.

"I wondered why you made me your tunnel partner when you claimed to hate me so much." Arnold laughed.

"Well, now you know Bucko!" she sighed.

Arnold began to finish his corn dog as he saw Helga already licking her stick. "I guess you didn't feel like saving some for the fishes?" he said, smiling at her. She glared at him, as she threw her stick into the water, "Here, they can have this!"

"I'm glad you liked it." he said.

"Eh...still not as good as the one's at the bowling alley." she countered.

"Did you just go there for the food when we were kids?" he asked.

"That and to kick your scrawny butt at bowling!" she reminded him, while pointing a finger at his chest.

"You mean like when Coach Wittenburg's team kicked Tish's team's butt in the championship?!" Arnold corrected her, with half lidded eyes.

"I would hardly considered Eugene's moronic slip and slide getting him those two winning pins, to be kicking my team's butt!" she sneered.

"The 'point' is, my team won!" Arnold said, as he poked her chest in return; not caring how she retaliated.

"Watch it Arnoldo, or you'll be the next 'fish stick' I send down there!" she said, shoving him away from her.

He grabbed her arm, beginning to wrestle with her, as their legs continued to hang over the edge of the dock. Finally, he fell on top of her, pinning her down, as she gave in to his aggressiveness. She looked into his eyes as he smiled down at her.

"I don't need a team, a coach, or a trophy to feel like a winner." Arnold began

"It sounds like you want something pretty extraordinary." she said, knowing what he must be referring to.

Arnold rolled his eyes as he said, "Yes, and that's you." He leaned down to kiss her as the sky started to glow. The sun hadn't yet set, but all that shone around them was a bright orange and red background. As he kept his lips pressed softly against hers, he thought about how much closer each story that was shared throughout the week was bringing them. Not only was she becoming more comfortable showing her sensitive side, but he was learning about feelings he never realized he had for her as a kid.

Helga laid there feeling as proud as she did vulnerable. Her lifelong dream of being loved was finally coming true, all because she was starting to let go of her foolish pride. She was beginning to realize the embarrassment of losing her reputation couldn't compare to the pain of losing her one true love.

Arnold released his lips, continuing to look down at her as she rolled her eyes back in disbelief. It all seemed like a dream too good to be true. "I've had the best day with you, Helga!" he said, hoping she felt the same way.

"I...I..lo..lov.." she struggled to get the words out, thinking to herself, _He already knows, I've already said it, just say it again!_

Before she could finish, Arnold put his hand over her mouth, "You don't have to say it Helga. I know how you feel. I'm sorry for pressuring you, and I'm sorry that it's probably going to happen again. We both have things to work on." he pointed out, as he helped her up.

"Thanks for being so understanding." she said, as she rubbed her arm, trying not to make eye contact with him.

"No problem. Not all relationships run as smoothly as Gerald and Phoebe make it look. For instance, Coach Wittenburg and Tish obviously love each other, but I don't think I've ever seen them express their feelings in public. That is, unless you consider grabbing a burger at the Grease Pit showing off their relationship." he responded

"Remember when we were in their wedding? We were only nine years old, and they picked us to be their best man and maid of honor?" Helga laughed.

"I don't think Wittenburg had too many friends. From what I remember about the wedding, you seemed pretty happy. I remember catching you as you fell over smiling after catching the bouquet. I don't know what you were thinking about?" Arnold said, thinking out loud.

Helga gulped as she turned her head away from him.

"Something tells me whatever you were thinking about involved me. Am I right?" Arnold said, trying not to laugh.

Helga rolled her eyes, as she said while blushing, "Well doi! I was daydreaming about the two of us getting married at the church."

Arnold rubbed her face as he answered, "Someday your dream just may come true" winking at her.

She let out a lovesick sigh as he asked, "Ready for me to take you home?" he asked.

"Not really. I'm dreading the 'oh so wonderful' news, Olga has to tell everyone. I guess we should get going though." she said sadly.

As they started walking towards Helga's house, they passed the arcade. "Hey, you want to stop in there really quick? It would give you an excuse to stay away from Olga a few minutes more." Arnold said hopefully.

"Sure, why not. I'll prove to you Geraldo's not the only one who kicks butt at 'Runaway Bus Driver'" she gloated.

"I'll believe it when I see it, Helga" Arnold said as he laughed.

The two of them walked in to see 'Runaway Bus Driver' was open. The two of them rushed over to claim it. "Okay Arnoldo, drop in a quarter, and learn from the master!"

As Arnold was watching Helga dodge broken down cars and strangers on streets, Sid and Stinky were watching the two of them from across the room. "Whilikers! Arnold's following her around like a lost puppy." Stinky said shockingly.

"Boy howdy! Talk about embarrassing! What do you think we'll see them doing together next?" Sid wondered.

"I wreckin' it's only a matter of time before she lets him start calling her his girlfriend." said Stinky.

"I didn't even see them in school today; What do you think they've been up to?" sid asked.

"I remember when Helga asked me to pretend to be her boyfriend. We went to 'Skate Time Roller Skating Rink,' the park, etc, but she wouldn't tell me why. Now I wreckin' it might a' had somethin' to do with Arnold?" Stinky said, putting two and two together.

It was then, Helga finished the game. "Well, three minutes, thirty seconds. Record time football head! Tell Geraldo to try not to cry too hard."

Arnold laughed at her as he helped her up. "Well, I guess we should be on our way."

"Yeah, the sooner I get home, the sooner I can fall asleep during Olga's lame news." Helga said sarcastically.

The two of them walked down the street as Helga said, "I think my watch is about to die."

"It's 7:30" Arnold responded. "You just know that off the top of your head?" she asked.

"No, I looked at Big Barney." he answered.

"What the heck is Big Barney?" she asked.

"It's the city's name for the clock tower," he pointed over to it as they continued walking.

"Did you make that up yourself?" she said sarcastically.

"No, my grandpa told me, the night Gerald and I wanted to see Sally's Comet." he answered.

"Sally who?" she asked.

"Don't you remember when I asked you and the rest of the class to help eat 40 boxes of cereal to win the telescope?" he asked, surprised she didn't remember.

"Oh yeah. I still can't believe you didn't just dump the cereal in the garbage, and tear off the boxtops!" she exclaimed.

"We can't waste food like that when there are kids starving all over the world!" he countered.

"Yeah, yeah, Mr. Goody Two Shoes." she responded.

He smiled as he wrapped his arm around her. She hated knowing she had one more block before they would have to part for the night.

When they finally made it to her porch, she turned and said, "I had a great time tonight, Arnold."

He grabbed her to give her a long, passionate kiss. At first she wondered if anyone inside could see them. Then she thought to herself, _so what if they can? I never want this to end!_

When he finally released his lips, she said, "I guess I'll see you at school tomorrow." She began to walk up the steps as he grabbed her hand again. "Helga, wait!"

She looked at him confused, as she asked, "What is it?"

"Umm… would you want to skip school again tomorrow? I know I'm not being very responsible by suggesting this, but that incident with Summer really scared me. I couldn't wait to see you the next morning, to make sure everything would still be okay with us after I told you about it. The more we tell each other about ourselves, the more I get this incredible feeling I never want to leave me. I love you Helga." he said, scared she wouldn't want to skip school with him.

"Okay, but I can't miss Friday. My poetry teacher would have me change my trait topic from invulnerable to irresponsible."

"Sounds great! I'll come up with something special for us to do" he insisted.

"Try not to fill it with too much fish" she smirked.

They waved goodbye to each other as Helga turned to walk inside. No sooner had she entered, she heard "BABY SISTER!" Olga wrapped her arms around Helga squeezing her tight.

"Oh good, Olga's home. Now what's this big news?" Bob asked anxiously, while going through the fridge.

"It's HELGA dad… Olga's BEEN home!" Helga snarled as she shoved Olga off of her.

"Whatever! Now what's so important for me to hear, that I have to miss part of the wheel?" he asked.

"Where's mommy?" Olga asked.

"She's passed out behind the couch… where I should be." Bob insisted.

"Well daddy…" she began, as Helga stood there with her arms crossed.

"My teaching students in Alaska has helped so much. I love what I do, I just feel so cold and isolated up there." she continued

"Uh huh…" Bob responded, anxious for her to get to the point.

"Therefore, I got the head of the school board to send me great recommendations for teaching at practically any school I would like."

Helga interrupted to say, "Wait! Wait! So, you could be teaching somewhere even further away? Like China?!" she said hopefully.

"Well, I suppose I could, but I did this so I could be closer to my loving family! Therefore, I am going to be teaching at P.S. 118! Isn't that wonderful?!" Olga exclaimed.

Helga's eyes widened as she said, "You did say 'P.S.' not 'H.S.' right?"

"Right, so I won't be as close as possible I suppose" Olga frowned.

"Is this something you two could be discussing without ME?" Bob exclaimed.

"Well daddy, I wanted to make sure it would be okay if I moved back in? Just until I make enough money to get back on my feet." Olga pleaded.

Helga's eyes grew, hoping he would turn her down.

"Fine! Fine! Are we done here? I'm starving!" Bob exclaimed.

"Oh thank you daddy! I'll start unpacking my things! Helga, we haven't started eating that yummy cake you saw me buy yet if you'd like to dig in." Olga pointed out.

"I've got no appetite." Helga said as she irritably walked passed her to head upstairs to her room. As she entered her room, she threw herself face first onto her bed, thinking about the wonderful time she had with Arnold that day. She reached down into her shirt to grab her locket, forgetting it was now hanging in her closet. _This will be a hard habit to break. Maybe I SHOULD keep wearing it?_

When Arnold left Helga's house, his mind immediately went to what special thing they could do together the next day. On his way home, he saw some people standing outside 'Big Bob's Beepers'.

"Hey why isn't this stupid place open? We gotta get some beepers! Come on uze guys!"

Arnold walked over to see Big Gino and his gang standing there. "I think the place is under construction. Bob's adding some new merchandise. You know, cellphones, laptops, things that are more in style now a days." Arnold explained to them.

"Laptops? How are those secretive?" Big Gino asked.

"I take it you're still into 'helping' people with their financial problems?" Arnold said sarcastically.

"Hey! You gotta problem with that?" Gino's sidekick asked furiously.

"Relax, I got this." Gino butted in.

"Listen Arnold, think of us as a 'Financial Aid' system. Some people need money ASAP, and I'm willing to help out. I'm a nice guy. I need money too however, so I can't just pass it out like free candy. Sooner or later, they're going to have to pay me back. Sid learned his lesson, did he not?" Gino said, hoping he had made his point.

"Uhhh sure, anyway I gotta get going." Arnold said, as he walked away. He made it to his street, when he saw Mr. Green standing outside his shop. "Hey Arnold! Long day?" Mr. Green asked.

"No, it was good. I've just got some stuff on my mind." he responded.

"School giving you problems?" Mr. Green asked.

"Actually, I was just trying to figure out something special for Helga and I to do tomorrow." Arnold said.

"Well, you could always stop by here. I'm having a sale on pretty much everything this week!" Mr. Green said, hoping to encourage him.

"Uhhh thanks Mr. Green. I'll keep that in mind. See ya later!" Arnold said.

Arnold made it home to pass his parents playing cards with his grandparents at the kitchen table.

"Hey shortman! How was your day?" Grandpa asked.

"Pretty good." he said

"Is something wrong sweetie?" Stella asked.

"I'm just trying to think of something special for Helga and I to do together." he sighed, still looking at the floor.

"Oh! Take her to The Circle Theater! Dino Spumoni is playing there!" Pookey said excitedly.

"Pookey! You know that place closed down, oh what was it… uhhh?" Phil said, trying to calculate the years.

"I was in fourth grade grandpa." Arnold asked, rolling his eyes.

"The point is, it's ancient history! Heck Pookey, I think you and Arnold were the reason it's even still standing there!" Phil said, hoping to make her remember.

"Arnold? Who's Arnold?" Pookey asked, as her demensia began to kick in.

"Thanks guys, I'll be in my room." Arnold said, rolling his eyes in disbelief at her memory.

When he made it to his room, he laid back on his bed, looking up at the stars through his see through ceiling. As he laid there, he thought about the wonderful day he and Helga had, all because they spent it reminiscing about their childhood. Then an idea, suddenly came to him. He texted Helga to say:

I'll pick you up at your house tomorrow, around the time we would normally leave for school. Sleep well sweetie.

Helga read the text and sighed a sweet sigh. Everytime she read something from or was anywhere near Arnold, the frustration her family brought to her life was immediately forgotten.

Sounds great she said! Sweet dreams.

Despite how tired he was from his day, the anticipation he felt for his next one with Helga made it hard for him to fall asleep right away. Eventually it happened however.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Stroll Down Memory Lane

The next morning, he made sure to get up an hour earlier than usual. After he got ready, he snuck out, making sure not to wake anyone, or give them a reason to ask why he was leaving so early.

Back at Helga's house, she knew her parents would be happy to see her leave. The only problem she would have now, would be slipping out without hearing Olga's annoying voice. As she went downstairs, she saw Olga was nowhere in sight. _She must be getting her beauty sleep. What a loser._

As Helga opened the door, she saw Arnold standing there with two new bikes.

"SURPRISE!" Arnold shouted.

Helga stood there staring at the shiny pink bike with black handle bars, as she said, "You..you bought me a bike? Is that for me?" she asked confused, as he began to nod.

"It's great!" she exclaimed...then noticing her weakness, she corrected herself, "I mean, it looks like I'll be able to beat you anywhere we race with it!" she laughed.

"Haha… we'll see about that Helga. I don't want today to be about racing though." he corrected her.

"What's it supposed to be about?" she asked.

"I thought about how wonderful yesterday was, all because we spent it talking about our childhood. I think reliving the old days we spent together, helped us both figure some things out about how we really feel about each other. At least it did me. Then, I went home and remembered another fun thing we used to do with our friends was ride bikes around the neighborhood. I thought it might be a fun way to spend the day?" he explained to her.

"Hey, whatever gets me out of school works for me!" she pointed out. As the two got on their bikes, Helga examined them.

"My shiny pink and black bike is sooo much more in style than your dull red bike. It reminds me of Eugene's piece of junk." she said sarcastically.

"What a nice way to say, 'Thanks for my new bike! I can't wait to ride with you!'" Arnold said sarcastically.

"Hey, you said you wanted our day to be a stroll down memory lane. Surely, you remember the time he rode up to school on that thing, feeling all high and mighty. Then the garbage truck ran it over as the domino effect of bikes sitting on the playground flipped it into the street." she reminded him.

"Of course I remember, I was the one who set my books down on top of the stream of bikes. They all began to fall before I could save his bike. I felt so bad after that, I tried to fix it. Every nice thing I did for him after that just lead to one bad thing after another: Trying to fix the bike, going to his house to pick him up for a fun day. Everything just ended with him getting hurt even worse than before." he said feeling guilty, looking back on that day.

"Arnold, the guy always has been and always will be… a jynx! None of it was your fault. You were wasting your time trying to make it up to him." Helga insisted. "So, where to first?"

"How about Bigal's Cafe? I hear they've got some great coffee!" Arnold suggested.

"Sure, I could go for a cup." she said.

As they rode over there, Arnold turned to Helga and said, "Umm on my way home last night, I saw some people outside your dad's store."

"Hmm… those construction guys don't normally hang around past five? Not that I care what they do." she said.

"Actually, it was Big Gino and his gang." he told her.

"What were they doing over there?" she asked suspiciously.

"That's what I went over to find out. Apparently, they thought beepers would be helpful for their 'secretive' business. I left before I could find out if they hung around long enough to break in though." Arnold said, feeling guilty.

"Well, if they did, it's Bob's fault for not hiring a security guard. Look, there's the cafe." she pointed out.

The two parked their bikes outside, as they walked inside. "Welcome to Bigal's Cafe, please have a seat over here." The hostess sat them at a table by the window, where they could see their bikes.

"I can see us as an old married couple, riding a tandum bike" he laughed.

Helga began to picture it, as she imagined them old and married, riding through the park together.

"Helga! Helga! You okay?" Arnold asked, snapping her out of her daydream.

"Hunh? Oh yeah, I'm fine." she said, embarrassed.

The waitress came over, asking what they would like for her to get them.

"I'll have a cup of coffee, black, and one of those 'famous' bagels your menu seems to be bragging about here." she said.

"And for you sir?" the waitress asked.

"Umm I'll have one of these late's, and just a plain bagel I guess." he said hesitantly.

"Sounds great, be right back!" the waitress said, as she walked away with their menus.

"Those bikes ARE quite a stroll down memory lane," Helga said, as she looked out the window.

"What else do they remind you of?" he asked.

"Let's see… how about the time we all found out Gerald couldn't ride a bike? HAHA!" she laughed

"I almost forgot about that. I was the one who had to teach him. Or tried to at least. We practiced in front of Notani's Tire Company, where no one would see us. In the end, he figured it out on his own." Arnold smiled at her.

"Good location. I'm sure his bike needed a few spare tires by the time you two were threw with it." she said sarcastically.

"Here are your bagels and coffee. Enjoy!" the waitress said

Helga took a sip of her coffee, as she said, "I gotta say, it's not half bad. Better than the crap Miriam buys anyway."

"What does she buy?" Arnold asked.

"The heck if I know. I just know it's supposed to wake her up after those 'smoothies' she makes knock her out. Not that any drink on earth is strong enough to do that!" Helga snapped.

The two of them tried their bagels as Helga said, "It's too bad the cafeteria at P.S. 118 didn't serve food this good. If they had, I wouldn't have had to worry about waking up every morning to find that Miriam hadn't packed my lunch."

"I would have shared my lunch with you." Arnold said smiling.

"You would have shared your lunch with the entire school, football head!" Helga exclaimed.

"Yeah, you're probably right. Speaking of your family, what was Olga's big news last night?" he asked.

"Oh man, get this. She's going to be teaching at P.S. 118. I don't know who I feel more sorry for. The kids she'll be teaching, or myself for being so close to her again?" Helga said depressingly.

"I thought she was a pretty good substitute," Arnold responded.

"Arnold, do you not remember all the embarrassing stories she shared about me?" she scowled.

"Yeah. I don't have any siblings, but I guess if I did, that would have made me pretty mad." he admitted.

The two of them finished their food, as Arnold left some money on the table. They headed towards their bikes, as Helga said, "Where's the next place that has the honor of seeing this loving couple?"

"Are you talking about the bikes or us?" he asked.

"Me and my bike, doi!" she said sarcastically.

"Whatever you say Helga. How about the batting cages?" he suggested

"Sure why not. I can give you some pointers on why you cost us so many baseball games when we were younger." she said.

"Hey! You were the pitcher on several occasions. The person they normally blame when a team loses the game." he said as he pushed her, almost making her lose her balance.

"Hey watch it Arnoldo! Nothing is ever Helga G. Pataki's fault!" she exclaimed.

"Right... well let's go." he said.

As they rode towards the batting cages, they passed by Gerald Field. There they saw a new group of young kids playing baseball. "Kind of makes you wish we had gotten a patent or done something to claim it as our own." Arnold said.

Helga gave a depressing look, remembering all the good times they had shared there, as she looked over and said, "Yeah, but what can you do?"

"Remember the day we cleaned it up?" he asked.

"Of course. Then those crazy adults ruined it the next day! Sheesh!" she said angrily.

"Yeah, but when they fixed it, they made it even better than we did to begin with." he pointed out.

"I guess so. Speaking of which, there's the batting cages." she pointed out.

As the two parked their bikes, Arnold lost his balance and fell onto Helga. He began to help her up, but he couldn't let go of her hand.

"Are you okay, Arnold?" she said with a confused look on her face.

"Ummm… it's just that" he began.

"What's wrong?" she asked

"I've had a lot of fun talking to you, and the cages are kind of isolated. Do you want to go some place we can actually talk. Some place private." he said hesitantly.

"Well, I guess I've proven enough times, I'm the better athlete. Sounds good. Where did you want to go?" she said sarcastically.

"How about the city lake?" he suggested.

"Man, what is it with you and fish this week?" she asked.

"I just know no one will be there, like they would if we went to the park, or a random store." he said defensively.

"Well to be fair, half the people in town have seen us already. I mean hello, we're riding these bikes in broad daylight. Anyway, let's ride." she said

Arnold smiled as the two of them headed for the lake. While riding beside each other, they passed 'Wang's Bait and Tackle'. Helga looked over as she said to Arnold, "I don't think I've been there since that contest you and Geraldo claimed to catch 'Big Ceasar' at."

Arnold smiled as he corrected her, "We DID see him. Not only that, we caught him."

"Right, and Rhonda's okay with wearing clothes that don't match. Give me a break." she said.

"It's true. We wouldn't have been able to if Gerald and I hadn't been fishing in that swan boat. Since we were however, we were able to pedal backwards and reel him in after throwing the net over him." Arnold explained.

"Uh huh… so why'd you return empty handed then?" Helga asked.

"I could see how sad he was, on our way back, so I convinced Gerald we should let him go." Arnold said.

"Oh brother. Well I guess as long as a story ends with you having to do the right thing, I can believe it." she sighed.

"We're here! I told you we'd be alone." Arnold said.

"Yeah, I guess Big Ceasar scared everyone off. Huh?" Helga said sarcastically.

Arnold rolled his eyes as he and Helga parked their bikes next to a tree near the lake. The two of them sat in front of it, as Arnold slowly wrapped his arm around Helga. "I'm really glad you skipped school with me again, Helga. I'm sorry if I've gotten you into any trouble."

"Nah, I'll be fine. I just have to turn in my poem tomorrow." she assured him.

"Have you decided to change anything about it?" he asked.

"I don't think I'm going to. Like the teacher said, it's just as bad of a trait as it is good, so I'd just be wasting my time." Helga pointed out.

Arnold put his other hand on her leg and began to rub it, as he said, "Everyone has bad traits. If you really love someone though, you're willing to overlook them."

Helga turned her head to look at him, without warning, he leaned in to kiss her. Arnold took his hand off her leg and put it on her face to pull her in closer. The two of them laid down on the grass, as Arnold couldn't allow himself to take his lips off of Helga's.

Helga laid there in heaven, thinking to herself _Why can't this moment last forever? Why do we ever have to go back to our lives filled with careless families, dramatic friendships, and stressful school events. Would it be the worst thing in the world if we ran away together? Oh Arnold my love…_

Suddenly, her thoughts were interrupted, as he sat up and said, "I told you no one would bother us here."

"I'm guessing you want a trophy for that idea, to replace the one you didn't get for the fishing contest?" she said as she began to sit up.

"Maybe. I'm sure it wouldn't be as pretty as you though" he said, giving her a soft kiss.

"Oh please! No one thinks I'm pretty." Helga scoffed.

"I do!" Arnold said, putting a hand up to her face.

"You mean, like when you and the rest of the guys screamed at me and the other girls when you saw us through the window at Rhonda's sleepover in 4th grade?" she reminded him.

"Wow! I forgot all about that. To be fair, none of us had ever seen one of those masks before. We were at Omar's Falafel Hut when Harold suggested we go crash your party. I know he regretted the idea the moment he saw what was going on." Arnold said defensively.

"Yeah, it scared the heck out of me too. I wouldn't let her put it on me." she sighed.

"How did you even end up at the party? I thought you weren't invited?" Arnold asked.

"I wasn't. After you and the rest of the guys kicked me out of the baseball game, I went over to her house to see what was going on. I overheard them making fun of me. That's when I decided to go to the Corner Store and buy a copy of Preteen Miss. I spent the afternoon dressing myself up to look more feminine, so I could go over to her party. It scared the heck out of my mom when she saw me come out of the bathroom." Helga sighed.

"I'm sorry Helga. Girls mature faster than guys, so we didn't stop to consider your feelings about something like that. You are beautiful!" He pointed out to her.

She looked up at him with sad eyes as he leaned in to kiss her passionately. She put her arms around his neck, hoping nothing would ruin the moment. Then, as he began to slide his arms under her shirt, something fell out, into the grass.

Arnold picked it up and said, "I thought you put your locket in your closet?"

Helga began to blush as she said, "Last night, I was on my bed thinking of you. Whenever I think of you, I reach for my locket. When it wasn't in my shirt, I realized I'm never going to stop thinking of you, and how disappointing it will be everytime I reach for you, only to find you're not there waiting for me." she said as she stared at the ground.

He put his hand on her face to look at him and said, "I'll always be here waiting for you."

She hugged him as he continued to hold her locket. "I think I'm starting to get the hang of how to open this thing… wait...no… I figured it out once?"

Helga rolled her eyes as she said, "You are such a football head. Look, you hold down the clasp, and flip it open, WHILE you're still holding down the clasp."

"I knew that!" he said blushing.

"Whatever you say Arnold!" she said sarcastically.

As he pushed her, he asked "So, where did you get this inscription made?"

"A place called 'Crown Jewel'. Not far from your house. Shortly after I left the place was when your crazy pig stole it from me." she said.

"It's almost as if he was trying to tell me something important." Arnold winked.

"Oh shut up Ar…" before she could finish her insult, he grabbed her and kissed her passionately, pushing her to the ground. He laid on top of her, slipping his arms under her shirt, not thinking twice about who might see them.

Trying not to completely let go of her lips, he asked, "Do you remember the name of the opera we saw in 4th grade at the Civic Opera house?"

Helga slowly opened her eyes, thinking back to their field trip. "Carmen, why?"

"You laying here in your gold sweater and red tank top reminded me of the gold and red dress the girl in the play was wearing. She can't compare to how pretty you are though." he said.

Helga looked up at him, as she said, "I'm surprised you remember. I had to wake you up with my slingshot half way through it!"

"You fell asleep too didn't you?" he pointed out.

"Yeah, I was dreaming about slashing Ruth and winning you over. I knew back then you were crazy about her. You did know she was two years older than you right dingus?" she pointed out.

"I kind of had a thing for the older ladies. For instance, Gerald and I met these two girls, Connie and Maria at the Community Pool." he began.

"It was a community pool… of course there were older girls there!" she said.

"They signaled for us to come over, and invited us to a school dance at the Community Center." he finished.

"I'm guessing that made you feel all high and mighty. Like a couple of big shots, who wouldn't stand out as two years younger than the rest of their class? Oh brother." she asked.

"Sort of. Maria invited us over to her house, to pick her and Connie up. Her dad had a hard time believing we were sixth graders. Then, they arranged for us to use Martinez Cab Company. Gerald and I thought they would expect us to pay for the ride; thankfully they didn't. They were just using us to make their boyfriends jealous. In the end, we got a kiss, which was all we were hoping for." Arnold smiled, remembering the night.

"Based on your interests in women, I can only assume this means Little Miss Perfect was actually a sixth grader in disguise." she said sarcastically.

Arnold bent down to kiss her softly, with his hands on her chest, as he said, "The best was saved for last for me. Those other girls didn't stand a chance against you, and all your amazing qualities that took me way too long to see." he said as he continued to kiss her.

He moved down to kiss her neck, and wrapped his hands around her waist, pressing himself tighter against her. She laid there looking up at the sky and asked, "which quality of mine do you find the most admirable?"

Once he was able to take his lips off her, he looked into her eyes and said, "while I can't get over your dominant personality, I love how passionate you are. It's given you an incredible talent for writing, which seems to be the one way you choose to show your sensitive side."

"I do enjoy expressing my feelings that way; mainly for you. I feel it's the only way I can. The only safe way at least. Of course the cat's out of the bag now." she said sarcastically.

"I'm glad it is!" he said looking down at her. "Is that what you spent most of your time doing at the library, or were you just stalking me? Haha."

"Not that it's any of your beezewax Arnoldo, but I may have written a few of my poems there. I can't help it if you and tall hair boy just happened to be at a table nearby!" she countered.

There was a long silence between them. It wasn't awkward; they just enjoyed looking into each other's eyes. After thinking about her talent for writing, Arnold asked, "Do you remember the city wide spelling bee we were both in at the Civic Auditorium?"

"Yeah, Bob lost hundreds of dollars on beepers after I lost." she informed him.

"How did that happen?" Arnold asked.

"He advertised this stupid commercial, saying if I didn't win, customers would get their first beeper free!" she rolled her eyes.

"That had to put a lot of pressure on you! No wonder you lost!" he told her.

"I didn't lose because of his stupid bet. I intentionally threw the competition, after I saw that check he tried to bribe you with. If he didn't believe I could win it on my own, I wasn't going to win it for him at all." she explained.

"I guess I can understand that. I'm sorry he didn't have faith in you. I always will." Arnold told her as he wrapped his tongue around hers, as tight as he had his arms around her waist.

As he let her go, he glanced over at her locket, laying on the ground. "I love you so much! I'm sorry it took me so long to realize it!" he said filled with guilt.

She looked up at him and responded, "I guess I didn't make it easy for you. Every time I did something cruel to you, I just made myself feel better about it by looking at the locket. It was nice knowing I had a piece of you next to my heart. Except for those few incidents (referring to abner)".

Arnold laughed as he said, "Haha, yea Abner does have his own way of thinking. I remember he ran away that same year. I was so scared I would never see him again. I even went to the copy store, and made flyers to put around the city."

"What made him come home?" she asked.

"Gerald and I made a huge pile of garbage for him to smell, and lure him back home." he explained.

"Oh brother. Animals are so stupid." she responded.

"Yeah, but I still love him. I think at one point, he even ran with my grandpa and I over to the steps of City Hall, when he was training to win chinese checkers against his arch nemesis, Robbie Fisher." Arnold explained.

"Uh huh… and what exactly does running have to do with winning a board game?" Helga asked.

"I guess it was kind of pointless now that I think about it." Arnold admitted.

"You really think so?" she said sarcastically.

"Whatever Helga" he said as he bent down to give her a soft yet passionate kiss.

Helga laid there loving how open they were becoming with each other. She didn't even care that they were being this open physically in daylight. She hoped that meant she would soon be okay with feeling this way in school.

As he looked down at her, she moved his hand to her heart and said "If I died now, I'd die happy."

"The cemetery's not ready for someone as… ummm…. Emotionally demanding as you just yet, I don't think." he said, trying not to laugh.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked, with a glare on her face.

"It means, I'm not letting you leave me any time soon!" he said, holding her tighter.

He took her sweater off, and began kissing her neck. As she laid there relaxing with her eyes closed, he began to pull down her tank top. She felt him start to suck on her chest, as she said, "Sheesh Arnoldo! You're spraying more water on me than the car wash!" she exclaimed.

"You know you love it!" he insisted.

"Oh yeah, the next time I need my laundry done, I'll just send it over to your place." she said sarcastically.

Arnold rolled his eyes as he helped her up. "Come on, let's ride over to 'Dewey's' for a milkshake."

As Helga stood up, she heard someone walking in their direction. "Did you hear that?"

"No?" he said, shrugging his shoulders.

"I thought I heard someone coming this way." she said anxiously.

The two of them stood perfectly still to listen, until finally Arnold said, "it was probably just the wind."

Helga listened to him, feeling uneasy. The two of them then got on their bikes, and rode over to Dewey's for a milkshake.

As the two of them rode to the milkshake house, they rode by Drymond Medical Clinic. Arnold looked over as he saw someone being strolled out in a wheelchair. Unsure of whether or not Helga was paying attention, he turned and asked her, "Remember that time Phoebe broke her leg?"

"Uhh yeah! I was doing errands for her left and right!" Helga scowled.

"You mean, like you always had her do for you?" he pointed out.

"What's your point?" she asked.

"I was just thinking about what you said the other night; how you feel you take me for granted." Arnold said, as Helga's eyes began to widen.

"Hey look, we're here!" she said, changing the subject.

The two of them parked their bikes and walked inside. Arnold went to order them two chocolate shakes, as Helga went to grab them a table. She sat there twiddling her thumbs, thinking to herself _What if he's having second thoughts about forgiving my negative behavior towards him? What if he can't continue to overlook it? What if I can't learn to become more sensitive? What if…_

"Here's your shake Helga." Arnold said, interrupting her thoughts.

"Oh thanks." she said sadly.

The two of them, sat quietly sipping on their shakes until Helga finally broke the silence.

"So it's true then?" Helga said.

Arnold finished sipping his drink, and answered "What's true?"

"You do feel like I take you for granted." she answered.

Arnold immediately regretted his words, as he said, "I only brought that up, because of what happened with Phoebe. I know you have no intentions of treating me that way. Even when we were kids, I know the last thing you wanted deep down was to hurt anyone you cared about."

Helga stared at the table, unsure of how to respond. Arnold took her hand inside both of his, as he said, "Please forgive me! The only reason that even happened between you two is you're such a confident person. You're not afraid to ask people for help, which, like your invulnerability, is just as good a quality as it is a bad one!" he insisted

Helga started to look up as Arnold put her hand on his heart. "Don't ever stop being who you are… no matter what anyone thinks of you!" he demanded as he looked into her eyes.

She let out a small smile as he rubbed her hand. Arnold said to her, "Let's grab our bikes and go home. Would you like to come back to my place for awhile? I know how much your sister bothers you."

"You don't have to ask me twice!" she said, quickly getting up.

Arnold took Helga's hand and held it out the door. As she held his hand, Helga thought about what he said, "your confidence is just as good of a quality as it is bad." Apparently all of her traits were considered equally balanced. Yet, it was always the negative side of them that showed.

As they got on their bikes, they rode towards Arnold's house. "So, ready for the big day tomorrow?" he asked.

"What big day?" she asked, while giving him a puzzled look.

"You're turning in your poem. It's been quite a week of thinking for you, as far as the topic goes. Are you ready to turn it in?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm just going to leave it as is. Whether or not that's the quality I hate most about myself, the teacher doesn't have to know it. I could pick illiterate, and she still wouldn't know me well enough to judge me for choosing it." Helga pointed out.

"I guess that's true," Arnold said, trying to see her point.

The rest of the ride was silent, until they finally pulled up outside the boarding house. "You can park your bike in the garage, next to mine." Arnold said.

Arnold opened the door, as the stream of animals poured out past him and Helga. By that point, she had gotten used to seeing them, including Abner.

Walking passed the kitchen, he saw his grandma swatting a fly. "Hey grandma."

"Come on in Kimba!" she said

"Okay… me and Helga are going up to my room for awhile."

"If you and Eleanor need anything, I'll be down here, taking care of the man eating tiger!" she said.

"Uhh thanks grandma." Arnold sighed, taking Helga upstairs.

As they reached the end of the hall, he pulled down the chain to his attack bedroom. Arnold opened the door, with Helga ready to sit down on his bed. As she sat there, he saw the puzzled look on her face. Taking her hand in his, he said to her, "I had a great time with you today!"

She smiled at him as she sweetly said, "Thanks, I had fun too."

After seeing her facial expression hadn't changed, he asked, "What's wrong?"

"When I said I took you for granted, you said it wasn't true. Then, when you brought up how I always used to treat Phoebe, it made me realize it is true. Maybe you don't see it, or maybe you're just not willing to admit it. Maybe I should go…"

As she began to get up, Arnold stopped her. She looked into his eyes, about to cry, as he leaned in to kiss her. He laid down on top of her, kissing her passionately, filled with guilt _How could I make her feel that way about herself? Am I pushing her away from me?_

He laid his hand on top of her chest. Not being able to completely release his lips from hers, he asked, "Where is it?"

She opened her eyes as he was still kissing her, and asked, "What?"

Arnold pulled his face off of her's at last and answered, "Your locket."

She gave a look implying _What are you talking about?_ As she reached down her shirt, only to find it was gone. Her eyes widened with terror, as she said, "Oh no! It must have fallen out at the lake!" She began to sit up as she said, "I have to go and get it!"

Arnold stopped her and said, "It's too late to go back there, and too dark to find it. I'll take you after school tomorrow."

She sat back down, trying not to cry at the thought of someone else finding it. Instead, she rested her head on his chest, and prayed for the next twenty hours to fly by.

"I think I'm ready to leave. I'll see you at school tomorrow I guess." Helga said.

"Do you want to ride our bikes there, or should I meet you on the bus?" Arnold asked.

As she kissed him goodnight, she answered, "I'll see you on the bus. Thanks for the bike."

"I don't want you riding home alone; I'll ride next to you." he said, worrying about her.

"Sheesh Arnoldo. You buy me the bike, but you don't trust me with it?" Helga said sarcastically.

He rolled his eyes at her ungrateful attitude, and lead her down the stairs. The two of them grabbed their bikes from the garage as Arnold asked Helga, "Would you like to do something again after school tomorrow? I mean AFTER we find your locket."

Helga looked up for a moment feeling her chest, almost having forgot she had lost it. "Uhh sure. What did you have in mind?"

"I'm not sure yet. We'll just concentrate on finding your locket first. Then, see where to go from there." he said smiling at her.

She looked up at him not knowing what to say, as she got on her bike. Before he got onto his, Arnold put his hand on her shoulder and said, "Listen, it doesn't matter is someone finds it before we do. We've already started showing people how we feel about each other. Like you said at the fair earlier this week, you can't let someone else think that they've won. That is, if not showing any sign of weakness really means that much to you."

Helga tried to look away as a tear began to fall from her eye. Arnold wiped it away and gave her a short but sweet kiss, before he jumped on his bike. "Let's get you home. You need to get some sleep before we go back to school tomorrow."

She smiled at him as the two rode down the streets together. Helga looked over to see the restaurant 'El Patio.' "I don't think I've seen that place before. Maybe I should ride a bike more often. It's amazing what you notice when you're not taking the bus."

"One of my neighbors at the boarding house works there." Arnold began to explain, as Helga interrupted.

"Is it that guy with the goofy accent who can barely speak English?" she asked.

"Mr Hyun; How did you know?" Arnold asked curiously.

"Hello! The restaurant is called 'EL' Patio!" she exclaimed.

"Fair enough. He really seems to like his job. Gerald and I tried to get him to leave it, to be a country western music star one time in fourth grade." he explained.

Helga began to slow down on her bike, as she asked, "Were you two deaf, or something?"

"He's an amazing singer! It's as if he's trading voices with a whole new person when he starts to sing." Arnold began to imagine as he explained.

"Maybe he is." she said sarcastically.

"We took him to Son Studios to get his voice recorded on tape. Then got his music put in Robertson's Records." Arnold continued explaining.

"So why isn't he now some big shot with his face on a billboard?" Helga snarled.

"He announced at his final contest he didn't want to be rich and famous." he said.

"Oh brother!" she sighed.

Eventually, they pulled up at Helga's house. Arnold parked his bike to walk her all the way up to the front door. He took her hand in his, making sure to get in as many moments with her as possible. "Thank you for taking these last two days off with me Helga. I had an amazing time with you, and I know you'll do great on your assignment." She began to look away as she blushed.

"Thanks. I had a great time too." she said, not knowing exactly how to respond.

He turned her face toward his and gave her a long passionate kiss. While Helga could still feel her face was red, she didn't want the moment to end. Arnold let go of her hands to wrap around her head, and pull her in closer; almost forgetting they were standing on her porch. When she fell against the door, her eyes opened as she heard a loud 'bang.' Helga tried pulling away from Arnold before someone could open the door and catch them, but struggled. He was caught up in the moment, thinking to himself, _I don't know if she realizes it, but she's opened up to me so much in the past couple of days. If she could just get herself to admit it, we wouldn't have a problem."_

Then, the door opened. "BABY SISTER!"

Arnold pulled away, as Helga rolled her eyes. "Umm… I was just making sure she got home safely." he said, full of embarrassment.

"Oh goody! Would you like to come in! Daddy never finished that yummy cake I bought the other day!" Olga exclaimed; not thinking twice about what they were just doing.

"No! He's got to be going. I'll see you at school tomorrow." Helga said, still blushing.

"Bye Helga. Good to see you again Olga." Arnold said, as he turned to grab his bike. Helga stormed in passed Olga, hoping to forget what had just happened.

"So, how was your day?" Olga asked, anxiously.

"It was just fine until about thirty seconds ago." Helga said, as she stormed upstairs.

"Mine was absolutely wonderful! I went to P.S.118 to apply for a job. They said they would hire me as an assistant. Just like when I taught your class. Which of course was what I expected. Then they said…" Olga continued, as Helga interrupted her.

"Yeah, yeah that's great! Listen, I need you to write a note for me saying I haven't felt well the past two day, and sign it." Helga demanded.

"What's wrong? Are you sick?! Oh no! What can I do?" Olga exclaimed.

"Nothing! Sheesh! Just write the freakin' note for crying out loud!" Helga snapped.

"Whatever you say, baby sister!" Olga said, as she wrote Helga a note to take to school the next day.

"Great. I'm going to bed now. You know, to catch up on my sleep." Helga said, not wanting her to get wise to what happened.

When she made it upstairs, she fell on her bed, thinking about the poem she would be turning in. She thought to herself, _Is it true that all my traits are as good as they are bad? Am I just using them in the wrong way? Perhaps I should have used my confidence more to show Phoebe I could help her out, rather than just using it to put all my faith in her. If I'm really as strong as I claim to be, why can't I make myself use it more to show others I don't care about their opinion? Why must I threaten them to believe it?_

After considering all of this, she pulled out her already written poem and sighed, until finally, decided to make one alterication. She threw it in the trash, and thought of one quality she knew would never come in handy in her relationship, let alone herself.

Inconsiderate of another's feelings

Not capable of responding to a loved one's revealings.

Showing no concern for others.

Endless suffering caused by my heartless attitude towards others.

Not sensitive towards any physical sensation.

Slow to care for another person's compensation.

Incapable of caring for another's well-being.

Too thick-skinned to show emotional healing.

Impervious to showing signs of weakness.

Vital toward the idea of merciless.

Every which way is power without feelings.

After writing her new poem, Helga went to bed, filled with as much relief as she was despair. She had finally figured out what needed to be changed about herself; what had been staring her in the face ever since the day she met Arnold. Would she be able to change it however? Arnold said, "Never stop being who you are." How could their relationship work however, if she wasn't willing, let alone capable of fixing this about herself?

Arnold rode his bike home, wondering if he had been too hard on Helga. He didn't have a problem with an open relationship, but knew Helga was still struggling with admitting she was open to the idea. He said he was going to be patient with her, then decides to not take her feelings into consideration, when showing his love for her on her front porch.

When he made it home, he walked upstairs, not worrying about who was still awake. He changed into his pajamas, and got under the covers, trying to leave his concerns for the next day.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Back To School

When he awoke, he anxiously got dressed, hoping Helga wouldn't be too upset with him. He once again, tried racing out of the house. This time his mom caught him. "Why do you keep leaving in such a hurry Arnold?" Stella asked.

"I just want to make sure I meet Helga on the corner, before the bus comes. We like to get on it together." he said, hoping she wouldn't question him any further.

Stella just smiled at him, and said, "Alright, well have a good day."

Arnold raced out to meet Helga by the bus corner. He passed Gerald's house on the way, as he heard, "Whoa man, where's the fire? Where have you been? I haven't heard from you in the past two days?!" Gerald asked.

"Sorry Gerald. I know I haven't been doing a good job keeping in touch. Helga and I skipped school the last two days." Arnold said, catching his breath.

"What? What were you two doing that was so important, you felt the need to spend all that extra time together?" he asked.

"She's really starting to open up to me Gerald. I just need her to see it for herself. She's never going to be comfortable showing our relationship in front of our friends, if she's not comfortable doing it outside alone with me." he explained.

"Uh huh… so what I'm hearing is, you two spent the last two days 'getting it on' in some private place outdoors?" Gerald asked.

Arnold began to blush as he added, "I notice she becomes more comfortable acting like a couple when we talk about things that happened in grade school. It's like revealing secrets about her past, makes it easier for her to come closer to me. She can't seem to admit it however." Arnold said sadly.

"Arnold, wake up and smell the coffee. She's Helga G. Pataki! Admitting something like that would mean showing a sign of weakness! What makes you think you will EVER see something like that from her?!" Gerald argued.

Arnold sighed seeing his point, as he said "I'm not giving up on her, Gerald. Now I have to hurry and catch her. You coming?"

"Well, I'm sure not walking to school if that's what you're asking." Gerald corrected him.

The two of them made it to the corner just as the bus was pulling up. Arnold saw Helga standing there, ready to walk up without him.

"Not feeling the need to wait for you; great sign of weakness." Gerald said sarcastically.

Arnold rolled his eyes, as he caught Helga walking up the stairs. He grabbed her hand before she could make it on the first step. She looked over at him and said, "I wondered what happened to you?"

"I'm sorry! Gerald caught me running over and asked where I had been the past two days." he explained as he held her hand and lead her to the front seat. "Yeah, I should have called Phoebe. She was probably wondering what was going on." Helga said, as she sighed looking out the window.

Arnold continued holding her hand as he noticed the sad look on her face. He wondered if maybe she was still uncomfortable with showing their friends how close they were. Before he let go, he asked, "Is this really too much for you?"

Helga looked over with a confused look on her face as she asked, "What are you talking about?"

Arnold continued to look into her eyes as he explained, "While you're no longer shaking with anticipation, I can still see that look of depression in your eyes. I don't want to do anything to make you uncomfortable."

She scooted closer to him as she held his hand tighter. "I was just thinking about my poem. After you left, I made a few changes. I won't be certain if I did the right thing until she grades it."

Arnold put his arm around her as he smiled and said, "I know your teacher will love it… almost as much as I love you."

She laid her head down on his shoulder, as he thought to himself _I wish this moment could last forever!_

Gerald and Phoebe watched from a few rows back. "Apparently those two have spent the last two days getting just as close physically as they have emotionally." Gerald said, having a hard time believing it.

"Well Gerald, Helga's cruel behavior was always just a cover." Phoebe pointed out.

"What are you talking about?" he asked.

"Helga's overly-aggressive behavior towards Arnold over the years was what was considered to be more of a negative guise. In other words, she couldn't let him become wise to her true feelings for him." Phoebe explained.

"Mmm… mmm..mmm. Why do women have to be so complicated?" Gerald asked, as Phoebe just smiled as the idea of Helga finally succeeding at winning Arnold over.

Finally, the bus pulled up at the school, as the driver exclaimed, "Everybody off!"

Helga slowly lifted her head off Arnold's shoulder as he helped her out of her seat. The two of them held hands as they walked into the school together.

"Isn't your class the other way?" she asked Arnold.

"Yes, but I wanted to walk you to your's. I know how nervous you are about turning in your paper. I just wanted to remind you, you'll do great." Arnold told her, as he hugged her outside of the classroom. Helga smiled at his words, and began to squeeze him tighter. With that, Arnold could sense her opening up to him.

"See you at lunch!" he said, letting her go.

She made it into her class, just as the bell was about to ring.

"Hello Mrs. Pataki. Are you feeling better?" she asked.

"Yes ma'am, I have my sick note and poem write here." Helga handed her prepared.

"Thank you, but you can hang onto your poem for now." the teacher said.

Helga sat down with it, just ready to turn it in and get on with her life.

"Class, I'm sure you've all had fun choosing your topic this week!" the teacher said.

 _Yeah right!_ Helga thought to herself.

"Now, we're going to stand up one by one and read our poems to the class!" the teacher finished.

Helga's eyes widened as she fell down into her chair, with her whole body trembling. _Maybe I should have kept my old poem?_

She watched the class stand up one by one reading theirs', as everyone was applauded for their hard work. Knowing everyone would clap for her, wouldn't stop everyone from having their own personal opinion about her opinion.

Finally, it was her turn, She got up and read her topic on insensitivity, as she could barely keep her voice from shaking. She could feel each person in the classrooms' eyes beating down on her, as though they were psychologically abusing her.

When she made it to the end of her poem, the class applauded, and Helga was told she could take her seat. She then buried her face in her arms on the desk as she could barely hear her teacher discuss the differences in the traits everyone had chosen to write about. Eventually, the bell rang.

When it was lunch time, Helga went and found herself a table, not caring to eat anything. She sat thinking to herself _I'm such an idiot for letting people know those things about myself!_

A moment later, Arnold entered the cafeteria and saw Helga on the other side. Before he could make it to her, he was stopped by a familiar face.

"Hello Arnold. Thank you just ever so much for telling me about our English assignment!" said Amanda

"Oh, it was no problem." Arnold said, as he tried to get to Helga.

"Before you go, I have something to give to you." she said.

He looked down as he saw Amanda holding Helga's locket.

"Where did you find that?" he asked.

"I was at the lake yesterday with some friends, when I heard what sounded like a few other kids talking. I went over to see who it was, but all I found was this locket." she explained.

"Wow! Thanks! Helga will be so relieved!" he exclaimed.

"Helga? Helga Pataki?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm guessing you got the locket open. Which means everyone can work this thing except for me." Arnold said, embarrassingly.

"Actually, she's in my poetry class. We read our personality trait poems today." Amanda told him.

"She made you read them out loud? Was the class nervous?" Arnold asked anxiously.

"Helga was the only one who appeared to be. I'm sure other people were, but she was up there trembling. I don't know why? It was a beautiful poem!" Amanda told him.

"When I read it, she picked 'invulnerable' to be her trait topic. Then, on the bus this morning, she said she made some changes." he said.

"She must have made quite a few, because the trait she chose to change about herself was that she is 'insensitive'." Amanda told Arnold.

Arnold looked down at the locket, then back over at Helga. He saw she was still staring at the table, as if she didn't care whether or not anyone came to sit with her.

"I have to go. Thank you for finding this Amanda!" he said, as he went to see Helga.

"You're just ever so welcome." she responded.

 _Great, now the whole world knows what a monster I truly am! What's even worse is, I made it sound like I'm proud of it!_

As she continued loathing herself, Helga suddenly felt a set of arms wrapped around her neck. She then saw her locket placed on the table in front of her, as Arnold whispered in her ear, "The last thing you are is insensitive."

He sat down beside her as she looked at her locket. "What are you talking about? All we've been talking about all week is what a hard time I have opening up to people!" she exclaimed.

He put his hand on hers as he said, "That doesn't mean you don't HAVE a sensitive side. You've taken advantage of every opportunity throughout your life to help me. You're the most thoughtful person I know. I just didn't want you to let other people think there was anything wrong with you HAVING a sensitive side."

Helga looked up into Arnold's eyes. She laid her other hand on top of his and gave him a passionate kiss. Only this time, Helga didn't blush afterwards, or think about how many people might be watching them.

They both looked at each other as though they were the only two in the room. Arnold smiled and said, "I know we've got your locket already, but do you still want to hang out after school?"

She smiled at him, with an expression that read _Why wouldn't I want too?!_ "Sure! Where would you like to go this time?"

Suddenly the bell rang, as he said, "I'll think of something special."

"More special than riding bikes? Can't wait!" she said sarcastically.

"Very funny Helga." he sighed.

Arnold ran into Gerald on his way to calculus as Gerald asked, "So, I'm guessing it's only a matter of time before you pop the question with her, am I right?"

Arnold shoved Gerald as he said, "Whether or not that's true, she's finally okay with expressing herself in front of other people! It's too bad we don't have any classes together."

"One step at a time buddy. If you two are being open with each other in public, there's no need to expose the world to it twenty four - seven!"

Arnold rolled his eyes at Gerald's comment as he said, "Well this is it. I asked Helga to hang out with me after class."

"Of course you did." Gerald said.

"Anyway… if you don't hear from me tonight, I'll talk to you sometime this weeked." Arnold said as the two did their secret handshake.

After Gerald left, Arnold sat in class, paying no attention to what the teacher was saying. He thought about what he told Helga when he gave her the bike. That reliving their childhood was what he felt was bringing them closer together. It was then, he figured out how to spend another fun night with her.

When class ended, he saw Helga switching out her books at her locker. Before he could make it over to her, another boy came up.

"Hey, are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, who are you?" she asked.

"My name is Matt. I'm in your poetry class. Everyone saw how nervous you were when you read your poem, so I just wanted to make sure you were okay." he said.

"Oh, yeah I'm fine. I had no idea she was going to make us do that, or I wouldn't have picked such a personal trait." she admitted.

"Okay, I was just checking on you. See you later!" Matt said, walking away as Arnold rushed over.

"Who was that?" Arnold asked from behind, startling Helga.

"Some guy from my poetry class." she told him.

"What did he want?" Arnold asked nervously.

"Apparently, it was no secret how nervous I was when I read my poem to the class, so he just wanted to make sure I was okay." Helga explained.

Arnold sighed with relief as he hugged her.

"You didn't think I liked him did you?" she asked.

"I could tell he likes you!" Arnold said, trying to be serious.

"Whatever… so did you figure out what you want to do tonight?" she asked.

"I did actually." he said, with a huge smile on his face.

"Well?" she asked impatiently.

"Do you remember that food group category play we did in fourth grade?" he described, hoping she would remember.

"You mean, the one you waited until the last minuted to show up for? Yeah, it rings a bell!" she said sarcastically.

"Well, Gerald and I weren't late. We just decided we were going to skip it." he admitted.

"You what?!" she exclaimed!

"Yeah, so I thought something fun to do would be showing you all the places he and I went to, before showing up at the last minute." he said, hoping she would be as forgiving as he expected her to be.

She rolled her eyes and said, "Alright, let's go."

Arnold took her hand as he said, "Let's walk over to my place and get my grandpa's car. I don't think we'll have the energy to ride our bikes all around town."

As the two of them walked over to Arnold's place, Helga thought back to the night of the play. She thought about how upset she was when it looked as though they weren't going to show, and how easily she forgave him when she did. It compared well to how easily Arnold was always forgiving her for the harsh way she treated him throughout the years.

The two of them made it to his front porch. "Let me run inside to grab the keys. We can both keep our backpacks in the car. Then, I'll drop you off at your place when the night's over."

"You've really planned this out haven't you football head?" she said, trying not too hard to mess with him.

Arnold took her hand and rubbed it, as he looked into her eyes and said, "Yes, I spent all hour daydreaming in calculus for this to be perfect!"

She rolled her eyes at him, as he rushed inside to grab the keys. When he returned, they hopped into the car with their bags in the back seat.

"So, where's the first place you went to, that was so much more important than the first act of my play football head?" she asked anxiously.

"We'll start at a place called 'Roscoe's Funky Rags'. Gerald and I grabbed what we thought back then were 'cool' clothes. I ended up keeping my banana shoes, to go with my hip shades." Arnold said, winking at her.

"You have got to be kidding me?!" Helga snarled at him.

"Yeah, looking back, we probably did look better in our costumes." he said sarcastically. "On the plus side, it's also the place we found Monkeyman his incredibly 'stylish' suit when he was trying to act more sophisticated."

Helga rolled her eyes as she looked out the window. As they passed by a clothing store, Helga said without thinking, "Looks like this town's FINALLY got a new shipment of Nancy Spumoni Snow Boots! Something tells me they're more in style than the banana shoes football head." she said.

"I wouldn't doubt it. Gerald and I spent all night Christmas Eve looking for a pair of those." he responded.

Helga's eyes widened, as she tried to keep her cool. "What would you two want with a pair of those boots?"

"I decided the perfect Christmas gift for Mr. Hyun would be to get him back together with his daughter. Gerald and I went to The Federal Office of Information to see if we could dig up some information. He wouldn't help us though, unless we did his Christmas shopping for him." Arnold began to explain.

"Let me guess, after going to Computer Time, Tildales, Hoske's, Kacy's, and Watch Repair, you checked every shoe store in town, and the guy still wouldn't help you." she sighed.

"How do you know all the places we went to?" Arnold looked at her suspiciously.

"Arnold, did you not even wonder how his daughter showed up at your house the next day? I mean Crimmeny, someone had to tell her where you lived?!" Helga hinted.

"Are you trying to tell me, you convinced him to find her?!" he asked.

"More like bribed him to! I gave him the pair of boots my mom stood in line for 18 hours to get for me." she said.

Arnold took his hand off the wheel to rest on her shoulder, wishing he could hold her at that moment.

Finally, they made it to Roscoe's. "We're here!" Arnold exclaimed.

"Great. Now I can see the clothes you two just couldn't pass up that night." she said sarcastically.

As they entered, Helga looked at the disco shades, beatnick hats, black sweaters, and said to Arnold, "Is it just me, or does this place scream 70's to you?"

He took her over to the jewelry section. "Here's a gold chain for your locket. You can wear it without ever having to worry about losing it again."

She took it thinking about how people might notice it then. "Uhh… sure. Sounds great."

Arnold could see the hesitant look in her eyes, but bought it for her anyway.

As they left, Helga looked at all the fancy stores on the street and asked, "By the way, just how did you afford going to all these places that night?"

"Gerald and I were waving for a ride, when some stranger threw a bag filled with cash at us. All we could assume at the time was people downtown are incredibly friendly. Then after going to Ernie's Pool Hall, the two criminals the cash was meant for started chasing us." he said.

"Bet you were wishing then you had gone to the play." she said proudly.

"Speaking of 'Ernie's Pool Hall', that will be our next destination." he said excitedly.

"Were you even tall enough to reach the table?" she scowled.

"With a little help from Gerald." he laughed.

As the two entered, Helga looked at the fancy tables and the expensive drinks. She heard the upbeat music playing and said, "Unless you had a couple of fake I.D.'s, you two must have bribed your way into this place!"

"You could say that. Come on! Let's go grab a table." Arnold insisted.

Helga picked up a stick and said, "Now I can kick your butt at pool, since I never got a chance to at the batting cages!" she exclaimed.

As Helga pointed her ball toward the right corner pocket, she missed, while noticing the "nice shot" look Arnold was giving her from across the table.

"Don't you say a word, football head!" she warned him.

He came over to stand behind her, showing her the correct way to guide her stick. As he leaned up against her, he could feel her start to tremble.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Umm, yeah. You want to go get something to eat?" she asked.

Arnold gave her a puzzled look, having a hard time believing she didn't want to try to finish beating him at the game. "Alright. Let's go to Gino's Souvlaki. While you were dressed like food, Gerald and I eating some."

"Oh shut up Arnoldo!" she insisted.

Arnold drove the two of them over to the shack, as he watched Helga looking out the window. "What are you thinking about?" he asked.

"I was just wondering what it would be like to actually live in a place like this. Being rich enough to not have to worry about taking the bus, subway, or train everywhere you go. Not to mention walking." she pointed out.

"Yeah, that's true. There's Gino's!" he said excitedly.

The two of them walked up to the counter to look at the menu. "Any idea what you'd like to try?" he asked her.

"I've never tried Greek food. Just order me what you're having." she said.

"Okay, I'll order us what Gerald and I had last time." he said, hoping she wouldn't bring up the play.

She watched him walk to the register as he said to the cashier, "We'll take two Souvlaki Sandwiches." he said, hoping she would like it.

When Arnold brought back the sandwiches, they sat on the curb as he said to Helga, "This sure brings back memories. How's your sandwich?"

"It's not bad. It's no 'Sub King' sandwich." she countered.

"I don't think I've been there before?" Arnold tried remembering a time he may have been there.

"Crimmeny! It's been on your street for years! It's the place I went wh…" she stopped herself, realizing she was passing out more information than necessary.

Arnold looked at her tired of her secrets. Wishing she would realize it would just end with her revealing the information to him. "The place you went when you what?"

"Uhhh" She began

"Oh come on Helga, just say it. I think you've revealed enough secrets already for you to have no reason to be embarrassed by anything you've done in the past." he insisted.

"Oh fine, but if you reveal this information to anyone, I'll make you eat those banana shoes!" she threatened him as her fists shook, while he continued to smile at her.

"Do you remember that stupid nutrition lesson Simmons made us listen to?" Helga asked

"Yeah?" he responded, waiting to see where this was going.

"Well as usual, I found daydreaming about spending time with you to be more important than paying attention to anything he was blabbing about."

Arnold smiled as she continued on.

"When I got home, not to my surprise, there was nothing for me to eat. Thanks to Miriam's idiot excuse, leaving the groceries on top of the car on the way home, the only thing for me to eat was pork rinds." she continued.

"What does that have to do with me?" he asked.

"Story's not over hairboy! Anyway, I began sleepwalking the next few nights. Every morning that I woke up, I was at your place. Crimmeny, there was one morning I even woke up in your shower!" she exclaimed.

His eyes widened as he tried not to laugh, and asked, "So what did you do to fix the problem?"

"I got Pheebs to come over and keep an eye on me. Somehow I was able to get past her, without her waking up. Apparently, I stopped in the 'Sub King' on my way to your house." she explained, as she could feel her face turning red.

"Is that what you two were doing on my fire escape that night?" he asked.

"What's it sound like, Arnoldo?" she said sarcastically.

Arnold put his arm around her, as he finished his sandwich. "Does that mean the pork rinds were the cause of your problem?" he asked.

"Pheebs showed me the nutritional warnings on the back of the bag after I snapped out of it that night." she sighed.

"Guess that'll teach you not to daydream in class." Arnold laughed as she glared at him.

"Come on, I've got one more place to show you. The place that made me realize I had to get to the play." he said anxiously. Arnold helped her up as the two got into the car and headed for 'Zamboni Jone's Psychic Place'."

Arnold took Helga to the car, not seeing her roll her eyes at the thought of seeing someone who thought they were actually capable of seeing into the future.

As they drove down the rode, Arnold kept one hand on the wheel and the other on Helga's leg.

"What's with you getting all touchy feely, football head?" she asked.

"I'm just really glad we got to spend the night together." he answered.

As they pulled up, Arnold parked the car, but didn't get out immediately. When he saw Helga reaching for the door, he pulled her back inside.

"Are we going in or what?" she asked.

He continued to look into her eyes, until finally he said, "Thank you for telling me so much this week. I know you're a secretive person, but every time you share something with me, my love for you continues to grow."

Not knowing how to respond to his words, she pulled out the chain he bought for her locket. "Will you tie this around me?" she asked. He gladly helped her as she clipped the locket onto it. The two of them then went inside, seeing Zamboni Jone's looking just as he did the last time Arnold had seen him.

"He hasn't changed a bit" Arnold whispered to Helga.

"How can I help you two." Zamboni asked.

"You probably don't remember me, but I came here with a friend about eight years ago. You helped us realize there were some people we were letting down that night. Thanks to you, I was able to make everything right for this beautiful girl here." Arnold explained.

Helga blushed as Zamboni said to them, "Surely you would like me to tell your future predicaments before you go!"

Arnold looked at Helga as she said, "Eh, gotta do something to pass the time."

"You two are in love with each other!" Zamboni said, as Helga rolled her eyes and Arnold's face dropped.

"You do all sorts of things together." He continued as Helga kept a straight, unamused face.

"You will end up getting married, someday soon!" Helga's eyes widened as Arnold put his hand on her's. They both thought back to the dreams they had in grade school.

Helga dreamt of being president, while rescuing Arnold from all sorts of danger around the world. Enjoying a romantic honeymoon in Venice, and living an exciting life in New York. She began to tremble, thinking to herself, _Are my dreams really about to come true?_

Arnold sat there smiling as he remembered what was once thought to be a nightmare living with Helga, could now be seen as a dream come true for him.

"You will enjoy many happy years together!" Zamboni said, as Helga snapped out of her daydream. "Well, we better be going. I just wanted to thank you." Arnold said, as he helped Helga up.

The two of them got into the car as Arnold said, "Well, that was pretty much the night Gerald and I had. Right before we went to grab our costumes back out of the dumpster." he said smiling.

"The costumes were not that bad Arnoldo!" Helga sighed.

"I guess not. Not as bad as the ones they sell at 'House of Costumes.'" he said.

"What did you go there for, Halloween?" she asked.

"Gerald and I played hookey one day, and decided the only way to keep people from wondering what two kids were doing out on a weekday, would be to dress like adults." he explained.

"I'm guessing it worked, since you didn't get thrown back in school." she said.

"Worse. It got us thrown in jail!" he said.

"What did you buy? A couple of striped jumpsuits?!" she exclaimed.

"No, apparently we just looked like 'the yahoo soda bandits, after grabbing some sodas from 'Park's Lucky Grocery Company.'" he said.

"Bet you didn't drink another yahoo for awhile!" she said sarcastically.

Helga turned to look at the road Arnold was taking after not receiving a response. "Hey, this isn't the way home?" she said.

"If it's okay with you, I'm not quite ready to go home yet." Arnold told her.

"Okay? Where are we going now? The costume store where Iggy got his lame bunny pajamas?" she smirked.

"Sadly, that wasn't a costume. When I went to his house to hand him his homework, he was laying on the couch under a blanket in them." Arnold told her.

"I can't believe they even sell something like that for someone above the age of five!" she exclaimed.

Arnold parked the car on a hill, where the entire city was visible, but nobody would bother them.

"What are we doing here?" she asked.

"I just thought we could sit here and look at the stars for awhile. They're a lot more visible in this part of town than they are where we live." Arnold pointed out.

"Ya got that right! I can't see…" as she began to explain how lucky she was just to see one star every other night, Arnold started kissing her. He pulled off her top, as he pulled her in closer. While he was anxious to have them both undressed, he couldn't let go of her tongue. Still not releasing their lips, he unhooked her bra, now feeling her locket, that was safely around her neck.

She at last pushed him away to pull off his shirt. There he could feel the cold metal pressed against his chest, yet the love from her real heart kept him warm.

While he rubbed her breasts with his tongue wrapped around hers again, she laid there full of mixed feelings. _I'm outside only half-way dressed, risking who knows who might see me. On the other hand, it's with Arnold! I'm laying here with my sweet, said to be, future husband! Oh Arnold, you magnificent creature, never let my poorly conceded soul push you away from me!_

Suddenly, they heard a whistle blow, that startled them both.

"I guess we are kind of close to the tracks." he pointed out.

"Did you just park here to try and prove the haunted train exists?" Helga smirked.

Arnold continued to hold her chest and kissed her softly as he said, "Hey, you came with us too that night!"

"You mean, to what turned out to be the Steel Mill?" she snarked.

He started kissing her again as he said, "You still came with us."

She tried releasing her lips to say, "Just to pro.." but he wouldn't let go. As he held her tongue tight, he moved his hands down to her jeans. As he unzipped them, she laid there with her hands held back, feeling as though she was happy to give in to her pride and prejudice. He took his pants off, and undressed himself, until they were both lying there in their underwear.

"The one time you're more than willing to let me take charge, I don't have a condom." he said.

She smiled as he ran his fingers through her hair, wishing they could just spend the night there.

"Arnold, do you remember that crazy love-o-meter thing Rhonda brought to school in fourth grade?" she asked, looking into his eyes.

"Yeah, I made her redo me about fifty times, because it kept saying I was going to marry you." he laughed, hoping she wouldn't be offended.

"I overheard you playing the game with her. I was too happy about the idea of us getting married, to care about your reaction at that moment. These past few years however, have shown me you have a whole new outlook on me. I just hope you love me for who I am now, and not someone you believe I may one day turn out to be." she said hopefully, with a look of doubt in her eyes.

Arnold bent down to kiss her, with his hand pulling her head in as tight as possible. While Helga loved nothing more than sharing moments like this with Arnold, she anxiously awaited his response.

Finally, he laid her head back down as he answered, "People change Helga. You and I both will end up changing in one way or another aways down the road. No matter what it is, I know one thing that never will end up changing, and it's my love for you."

She began to smile, as he saw the light of the stars shine through her eyes. "We should probably get you home." he said as he kissed her once more before helping her get dressed again.

As he watched her put on her clothes, he saw her sensitive side shine through. He thought to himself, _How lucky am I to be with someone as tender as she is vivacious?_

He started the car as after they were both dressed and looked at her to ask, "Umm Helga."

"Yeah?" she responded, while holding her locket.

"Would you like to see if Gerald and Phoebe want to go to Dino Land tomorrow?" he asked, rubbing the back of his neck.

She scooted closer to him, as she placed her hand on his shoulder to say, "Okay, but you'll be paying for yourself. I've still got that lifetime pass that Johnny Stitch gave me when I was his 'It Girl'" she reminded him.

Arnold smiled at her as he said, "It's worth spending the day with you."

She gulped as she looked out the window and said, "Uh well of course it is! Doi!"

"Whatever you say Helga." he rolled his eyes, as he responded, "I'll text Gerald, and let him know."

"I'll text Pheebs." Helga said, trying to keep her cool.

Arnold wrapped his arm around her as he was driving, when suddenly she said, "Sheesh, your hair keeps blowing in my face. Roll up the window for crying out loud!"

After he rolled up the window, he ran his fingers through his hair to fix it, when he noticed something missing. "What happened to my hat?"

Helga began searching the car, until finally they pulled the car over. They got out to search the ground when Arnold's eyes lit with anticipation. Helga went back to the hill they had parked on, and found it sitting beside the tree the car was beside. Before heading back, she stood there looking at the city, thinking about the last time Arnold had lost his hat. He was so worried when he thought he would never see it again. Was that the kind of love he now felt for her?

Arnold continued searching the ground near the car, when he saw Helga approaching him. His eyes, as a huge smile formed on his face. He gave her an all too familiar hug, and said, "Thank you! You found it for me again!"

She gave a guilty look as she responded, "Well, the first time I was really 'returning' it."

Arnold lifted an eyebrow as he thought back to the day he bumped into her. The two of them were rounding the corner of 'J.J. Sausage Company' when he saw her with his hat.

"Are you trying to tell me you took it?" he asked.

"What's it sound like Arnoldo?" she snarled while blushing, not having to worrying about him noticing in the dark.

"What did you need it for?" he wondered.

Helga rolled her eyes as she snapped, "Oh, what do you think?!"

There was an awkward silence, as Arnold thought about everything she had shown him in her closet. After putting two and two together, he smiled and said, "Ohhh…"

Helga rolled her eyes as she began walking towards the car and said, "Come on, let's get going!"

He grabbed her before she could get in and pushed her back against the car. "Had I known all the stuff you were behind when we were kids, I probably would have issued a restraining order." he said, trying not to laugh too hard.

She tried pulling her hand away to get into the car. Before he released her, he pulled her head close to his to kiss her deeply. She could feel herself blushing as he moved his hand from behind her head, to under her shirt. Feeling she was still trying to get in the car, he took his lips off her and said, "Are we going to make this a grudge match?"

She forgot about trying to move their escapade to the inside of the car, as her memory flashed back to win they were kids. "You mean like that stupid golf game my dad challenged your grandpa to when we were kids? She reminded him.

"How did you guess?" he said sarcastically, still holding her hand, laying her against the car.

"Oh brother, if your grandpa hadn't gotten brain freeze from whatever treats you two ordered at 'The Root Beer Palace,' he wouldn't have backed into us." she insisted.

"Are you sure your dad didn't just forget to wipe his windshield when you two were through at the car wash?" Arnold countered.

"Oh zip it Arnoldo! Your gramps probably just noticed that Furniture Warehaus across the street, and couldn't wait to take a nap!" she snapped.

Arnold sighed as he kissed her softly before letting go of her and said, "Whatever you say, Helga. At least you got to spend some quality time with your dad." he said sarcastically.

"What are you talking about?!" she snarled.

"Well for starters, you two were together at 'Scott's Pro Shop' when grandpa and I went in there to buy some starter supplies. Then you spent most of the game caddying for him." Arnold reminded her.

"Arnold! Wake up! He PAID me to do that! We weren't bonding!" she snapped.

Arnold leaned in closer in disbelief, as she rolled her eyes at him, knowing he would never understand the way her family felt about her.

He opened the door for her, and walked around to the other side. "What are you, a doorman?" she asked. "Well, that depends. If we're going by the aptitude tests we took in fourth grade, I'm too smart for that. If we're comparing this to career day that year, I'm the ice cream man!" He said sarcastically.

"Oh brother! If that's the case, you've committed more than enough misdemeanors tonight for me to take you in. I was a kick - ass cop!" she said proudly.

"Everyone got something fun to do that day, except for me. Gerald got to be a fireman. Phoebe got to be a construction worker. I just got to sit in the freezer all day, listening to that guy complain about how much he hated his life!" Arnold explained.

"Why didn't you eat some of the ice cream? Teach that loser a lesson. Oh wait, I forgot. You're Mr. Goody Two shoes." she said sarcastically.

He put his hand on her thigh and said, "Don't make me pull over again!"

"And do what, make me eat ice cream?" she said sarcastically.

A silence broke as Arnold looked over and saw a smile form on her face. As he continued to rub her leg, he said, "You're really enjoying this aren't you?"

She looked over at him confused, as she asked. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I can just tell by the look in your eyes and smile on your face, how happy you are." he responded.

"Oh, umm. Just talking about career day reminded me of something else when we were kids." she admitted.

Arnold took his hand off her leg, to place on the wheel. After giving her a chance to speak up, he rolled his eyes and said, "Would you like to tell me about it?"

"What makes you think it's about you?" she asked nervously.

"I never said it was. If it's not though, you shouldn't be afraid to share it with me." he explained.

"Fine! 'Ice Cream' was my code name for you, whenever I spoke to Phoebe about you when we were kids." Helga said, looking out the window.

"I guess that means you really did want to 'eat me'! Arnold said jokingly, hoping she wouldn't punch him.

"Don't make me steal your hat again!" she threatened as he held it in place.

They then pulled up at Helga's place as Arnold moved closer to her. "I don't want you to leave me, but we've nowhere else to go." he said sadly as he held her hand.

She began to look down, knowing exactly how he felt, when he suddenly kissed her. She expected it to be short and sweet, but after a minute he still couldn't let go. She wrapped her arms around his neck, as he loosened his lips enough to ask, "Do you want to get a hotel room?"

She tried to sit up with him still on top of her, as she answered, "I'll have to see if I can get Phoebe to cover for me."

As Arnold sat up, Helga reached for her phone to call Phoebe.

"Hello?"

"Phoebe, it's me, Helga."

"Oh hello. How was your night with Arnold?"

"Well, it's not over yet. I need you to call my mom and tell her I'm sleeping over."

"Covering!"

Helga hung up the phone as Arnold asked, "So, is she going to do it?"

"Yeah, I can pretty much make her do anything." Helga said.

"You can pretty much make ANYONE do anything!" he said as he winked at her.

She rolled her eyes at him as she asked, "So what hotel around here is cheap enough for you to afford?"

"Well, there's that one next to the Karaoke Club?" he suggested.

"You mean the cheap place Wartz performed at when Simmons felt he was good enough to take his place?" Helga asked.

"Yeah, pretty much." Arnold said, rubbing the back of his neck.

She rolled her eyes as she responded, "Alright, but I'm not singing."

Arnold kissed her softly as he started the car and said, "We'll see Helga."

Helga's eyes melted with pleasure as she sighed, leaning back happily in her seat.

As the two of them drove towards the hotel, Helga watched what they were passing. "Oh man, they got some pretty crappy joints in this part of town; The Deli, Gene's Hi-Fi, O'Conner's…"

"Yeah, it's not the best area. Maybe we should go home?" Arnold said, having second thoughts.

"What do you think I am, some sort of baby?" she exclaimed.

"No. I just got mugged in this area when we were kids, and I don't want anything bad happening to you." he said.

"Are you referring to the time you wore that stupid karate suit to school for a week?" Helga asked.

"Hey! My grandma's training came in handy. She told me 'Be as the frog in the pond. He does not seek the fly, the fly comes to him.'" Arnold said, remembering his training.

Helga raised her eyebrow as she said, "What in the world is that supposed to mean?!"

"Basically that you don't go looking for trouble, but it's okay to defend yourself when it approaches you." he explained.

"Oh for crying out loud. How in any way is that useful?" she asked.

Arnold took her hand in his as he said, "I may have had trouble approach me a few times as a kid, but was always able to defend myself." he said, winking at her.

She began to blush as he kept his eyes on her.

"Keep your eyes on the road hairboy!" she exclaimed.

"Whatever you say Helga." he sighed as they pulled up at the hotel. Arnold helped her out of the car as they both grabbed their book bags from the back seat. They walked inside to see walls with faded tan paint, and sticky tile floors.

As they walked up to the front desk, Arnold said, "We'll take one room for the night. Two keys please." The cashier handed over the keys and checked them in without stopping to consider their ages.

When the two of them saw the elevator was broken, they took the stairway up to the third floor, giving them a chance to examine the place.

"Oh man would you look at this place? The only difference between this and the school is that they've got a cheap gym instead of a cheap cafeteria." Helga pointed out.

"The gym at P.S. 118 wasn't exactly high class either." Arnold argued.

"Classy enough for Patty to 'beat me up' in." she said sarcastically.

Arnold rolled his eyes, as he waited for her to catch up to him on the stairs. He took her hand and said, "You know, I'M the reason your clothes were the only thing that actually took a beating that day." he said proudly.

She blushed knowing he was right, as the two of them finally made it to their room.

"I gotta say, the rooms don't look half as bad as the rest of this place." Helga said, as she looked at the king sized bed with a satin comforter, lavender scented candles from 'Georgia's Candles,' and a T.V. with recently shown movies from the Avon Theater.

"Are there any towels in the bathroom?" Arnold asked.

"Yeah, I was thinking about taking a shower; unless you wanted to?" she said.

"How about I take one 'with' you?" he suggested, winking at her.

She turned around as she felt herself blushing hard, "Okay, but you better not hog all the hot water!" she scowled.

As the two of them went in there to get undressed, Helga turned on the water. She stood there in her towel waiting for it to heat up, as Arnold got undressed behind her. Just as the water heated up, she felt her towel being taken off. Arnold wrapped his hands around her waist, kissing her neck. "Are you ready to get in?" he asked. Her heart began to race as she gulped and said, "Ready when you are football head."

As the two stepped in, Arnold took Helga by the arms and held her up against the wall, under the faucet. He began kissing her, not wanting her to escape. As he pressed his member against her, squeezing her hands tighter, her mind melted. _I'm at last taking a shower with my beloved. The tears my heart has felt for you all these years are no longer a metaphor._

Snapping herself out of it, she pulled away from him and asked, "So, are you going to let me wash my hair?"

"I could, but that would mean letting go of you." he winked.

"Oh for crying out loud! It'll take two minutes" she exclaimed.

"How about I was it for you?" he suggested.

Her eyes grew as she nodded, letting him grab the shampoo. She turned around, standing under the hot water, as she felt his warm fingers run through her long hair. With her eyes closed, she then felt his soapy hands run down throughout her body. As he made sure to scrub from her shoulders to her legs, he hugged her tight, feeling her breasts in between his arms. Finally, he turned her around to give her a deep, passionate kiss, as he stood her under the water, to rinse her.

When they were both clean, they turned off the water. Arnold held her against the wall to kiss her, until he could feel her starting to tremble from the cold air. He then picked up a towel to hand to her, as she said to him, "I'm going to blow dry my hair. I'll be out shortly."

When Helga came out of the bedroom, she saw Arnold sitting on the bed in his boxers.

"I was about to go change into my pajamas. Then I remembered, this bag is full of books, not clothes." he said rubbing the back of his neck.

Helga rolled her eyes as she began to get undressed. "I normally sleep in my purple night-shirt. I guess this pink tank top will have to do for tonight, thanks to you Arnoldo."

"Would you like me to go buy you a one-piece pajama suit, like when we were kids?" he said, making fun of her.

Her face turned red with embarrassment as she scowled, "Hey! It's not MY fault, my parents bought Olga all the good clothes!"

Arnold smiled at her sad excuse as the two of them crawled under the covers together. "If it's okay with you, I'm just going to sleep in my boxers. That shirt isn't what people would call the most comfortable sleeping attire. That is, unless you've got a jumpsuit hidden in your bag for me?" he said jokingly.

She rolled over facing the wall, trying not to let him know she cared. No sooner had she turned away from him, she felt an arm wrapped around her waist, as he rested his head on her shoulder. She then laid her hand on top of his, thinking to herself _How could someone as open-hearted as him, be with someone as thick-skinned as me?._

As she began to rub his hand, she heard him whisper in her ear, "You're all the warmth I need." Her eyes began to water, as she thought about all the years he had turned the other cheek on her cruelty towards him. How he had always been so patient with her misleading endeavors, and understanding towards her pessimistic behavior.

As he felt her beginning to tremble, he asked, "Are you okay, Helga?". After not receiving an answer, he turned her towards him, seeing how flushed her cheeks were. "What's wrong? Why are you crying?" he asked.

When she was finally able to make herself look up at him, her voice began to shake as she answered, "I don't deserve to be with you."

He gave her an absurd look as he asked, "What are you talking about?"

Holding the covers tight, trying not to cry, she explained, "Even now that we're together, 'claiming' to be in love, I still can't bring myself to change. You've been so patient with me, expecting nothing in return. All I've done is pitied myself for blowing off every opportunity I've had to show the world how much you mean to me."

"You took advantage of every opportunity you had to help me when we were kids. If you saw I was in trouble, you put my needs above your own happiness." he reminded her.

She began to turn away from him as he pulled her face back to kiss her. When he was finished, he looked into her eyes and said, "I wish you could see the sweet caring person I see, so the rest of the world could see her too."

"I don't know if I ever will, but it means so much to me that you do." she said, as he kissed her again. She pulled him close tightly, as he pulled off her tank top. She fell asleep with her head on his shoulder, and her bare skin pressed against his. Laying there thinking to herself _How lucky am I to have someone who loves me this much for who I am?_

As he smiled at the thought of her sleeping in his arms, he held his hand behind her head, thinking to himself, _What can I do to help the world see how sweet and beautiful she is to me?_


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Pizza Anyone

The next morning, the two of them woke, not having any spare clothes to change into. Arnold looked at his phone, seeing he had received a text from Gerald.

"Hey buddy! What time are we going to Dino Land?"

Helga yawned, as she got up to put her clothes on, seeing they had slept in until 9:00.

Arnold looked over, thinking to himself, _She's just as beautiful getting out of bed as she is getting into it._

"So, Gerald just texted, wanting to know what time we're meeting them at Dino Land. We're supposed to be checked out of here in an hour. I guess if we hurry, we can meet them there at 10:00." he suggested.

"Sounds good. It's not like we have any spare clothes to waste our time changing into." she pointed out.

"Pheeps texted me asking for a ride. I guess she and Geraldo don't feel like walking." she added.

Arnold sat on the bed, putting his shoes on as he said, "Okay, we'll stop by her place after we check out."

While he watched her grab her things, he thought about everything she had said to him in bed last night.

"Well, let's go. I may have my free pass for the park, but there's no telling how long you three will have to wait." she said sarcastically.

As the two of them walked down the stairs, they ran into a familiar face on the way out. "Dino Spumoni? What are you doing on this side of town?" Arnold asked.

"Well my partner Don and I pass out our card to restaurants, hotels, and any other places that may need a performer. The karaoke bar next door apparently isn't doing too good, so they called and asked us to perform over there; just to get ratings up." Dino explained.

"Sounds like it'll be great!" Arnold said supportively.

"Yeah, we'll see. You two should stop by my place, and listen to the new music we put together." Dino suggested.

"Well, we're actually on our way to see some friends right now. Maybe tomorrow night?" Arnold asked.

"Sure! You remember where I love don't ya?" he asked.

"Yep, see you tomorrow!" Arnold said excitedly.

Helga looked back after Dino walked away and asked, "Isn't that the goof you got to play at our school dance?"

"Oh come on! You know you liked him." Arnold insisted.

"Uhhh… after he had that depressive mental breakdown on stage, he started to lighten up a bit." she admitted.

"Whatever you say Helga." he sighed as they checked out, and headed for the car.

After getting in, Helga looked at the instructions on her phone and said, "So I figure the quickest way to Pheeb's house from here would be to take Vine St… which you just passed. Hey, where ARE we going?" she asked.

"I was thinking about what you said last night, when we were discussing your pajamas." he answered.

"What about them?" she asked, as she lifted her eyebrow.

"As funny as they were, I found it to be a little sad that your parents cared more about Olga's feelings than yours." he continued.

"You're just now thinking that?" she questioned.

He pulled up in front of 'Harry's Big and Tall Shoppe' as Helge looked at him confused and asked, "What are we doing here?"

"I wanted to buy you some new clothes. You'll have some nice new pajamas, AND you won't have to wear what you're wearing right now to the amusement park." he pointed out.

Helga looked at him, trying not to blush as she said, "That really isn't necessary. Besides, I'm sure they're waiting for us."

"I texted Gerald, and told him we'd be an hour later than expected. That way, you've got time to grab something and change." he said, trying not to give her an excuse to say no.

She rolled her eyes at him and said, "Fine, whatever floats your boat!"

"That floats my boat just fine." he said sarcastically as he grabbed her hand to hold walking into the store. "Look, there's a white sweater with pink roses on it." Arnold pointed out.

Helga looked at it wishing she could wear it, without looking like a 'girly girl.' "You're right! Why don't you wear it Arnoldo!" she snarled.

"Oh come on. You know you love pink. Besides, it would match your ribbon. Just try it on… for me?" he said, hoping to convince her.

She looked into his sweet eyes, seeing how much it meant to him, until finally she said, "Oh fine, if it'll shut you up."

Arnold's eyes lit up with anticipation as he took her hand and said, "Great! Before you do, let's go find you some new jeans."

"What's wrong with the ones I have?" she wondered.

"Those can't be your only pair, can they?" he asked in disbelief. When he saw her look away without a response, he rolled his eyes and said, "Come on, I think the Blue Jeans are over here."

Anxious to get out of there, she picked up the first pair she saw and said, "here's a decent pair. Let's go!"

"Don't you want to look around? They have more than one color. Here are some pink ones to match your sweater!" he grabbed them anxiously, hoping to get her to show some sensitivity.

She stood there having a hard time giving into her reputation, while having an even harder time ignoring the pleading look for her effort to open up to him in his eyes. "Oh fine, give them here. Are we done yet? I'm sure they're getting impatient with us?"

"We still need to get your pajamas. That is, unless you're happy with your one piece?" he teased her.

"Watch it Arnoldo! I threw that thing away years ago!" she exclaimed.

"Look, a purple nightgown!" he said happily.

"I told you, I have one of those, genius!" she reminded him.

"This one's made out of silk though." he pointed out.

She sighed as she took it to the dressing room, watching him follow her. "I guess you're not going to let me come in with you?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

"Not unless you're a girl too." she responded.

"Okay, but it's not like I haven't already seen you naked?" he said, trying not to laugh.

She began to blush, as she pulled him in; hoping no one else had heard what he said.

He sat behind her as she faced the mirror, pulling off her top. "You look beautiful from the back, maybe you could just go like that." he said being as sincere as he was sarcastic.

"You know, I don't have to wear your stupid sweater." she reminded him.

He sat there quietly, with a smile on his face, as he waited for her to put it on. While pulling it over her head, she immediately fell in love with the softness of the cotton material. She loved the way the size perfectly fitted the shape of her body, as opposed to most of the baggy clothes she owned.

"Can I see how it looks?" Arnold asked.

"Keep your old pants on, while I put my new ones on!" she said, standing there nervously as he sat there with anticipation.

She slipped on her pink jeans, loving that despite the fact they screamed 'girly girl' they weren't worn out like her other pair. This new pair made her feel as though someone cared about her, and didn't imply she wasn't worth noticing, as the statement made by her old pair did.

"So, can I see now?" he asked, hoping not to make her too mad.

She turned around, having a hard time looking directly at him. While she loved how the clothes made her feel, she didn't love the person they made her out to be.

"You look amazing! Do you want to try on your nightgown?" he asked, seeing a whole new side of her.

"Nah, it doesn't matter how well that fits me. No one else will be seeing me in it." she pointed out.

"I don't know about that…" he winked at her, as she pushed him, almost knocking him out of his chair.

After she changed out of the clothes, the two headed back to the register. On their way up there, Arnold saw the jewelry section out of the corner of his eye. "Hey, look at this!"

"Now what, football head?" she asked.

"It's a hair clip with a pink butterfly." he said excitedly.

"If you get it, don't let it steal your hat." she said sarcastically.

"Why don't you wear it? You'll need to put your hair up at the park today anyway." he argued.

She wanted so badly for him to drop the sensitivity act, but couldn't stop kicking herself for not putting as much effort into the relationship as he was. As she watched him hold it up to her, waiting patiently for her to take it, she finally said, "Alright, but if I look stupid, I'm kicking your butt!"

"You could never look stupid Helga!" he said, holding her hand on the way up to the register.

As they placed her things on the counter, she reached for her purse. "Let me take care of this. It was my idea to come here, after all." he said, as he placed his hand on top of her's.

She blushed, trying not to look up at the cashier. "So many young ladies buy this hair clip! It will go great with these clothes!" the cashier said.

Helga rolled her eyes as she saw Arnold smiling at her, knowing he was thinking to himself _I told you it was a good idea!_

After they were finished checking out, Arnold said to Helga, "Why don't you go to the restroom and change into your new clothes?"

"Maybe you should. You're the one who seems to be in love with them." she said sarcastically.

He rolled his eyes at her as he took her hand and lead her over there. "Don't worry, I won't bother you this time."

As she went into change, she thought about what her day at the park would be like. She wouldn't be just another person in the crowd. If she saw anyone there from school, eyes would immediately be drawn to her. It would be like Rhonda's party all over again. Only this time, she had Arnold to worry about letting down.

When she left the restroom, Arnold looked her over. He saw her standing there in her pink jeans. Glowing in her white and pink rose filled sweater with her hair pulled back in the clip he knew she would be sure to pull off.

He took her hand, not knowing what to say, as she stood there thinking to herself, _Why is he just staring at me?_

Finally, she broke the silence and said, "Well, let's go. By now, they have to be wondering what happened to us."

Arnold walked her to the car and opened the door for her to get in. When he came back around to his side, he saw her sitting there going through her purse. When a moment had gone by, and he still hadn't started the car, she turned to him and said, "Okay, what could you possibly be waiting for?"

He kissed her passionately, making her forget about her insecurity, until finally he said, "I was just thinking about how hard today is going to be."

"What are you talking about?" she asked.

"I'm going to be at an amusement park, with the most beautiful girl in the world, and not be able to make out with her." he said winking at her.

She began to blush, remembering what she looked like, as she said, "Okay, let's get going!"

After starting the car, he noticed her twiddling her thumbs. He knew how uncomfortable she was dressed like that, and began to feel a bit guilty. When they came to a red light, he took her hand in his and said, "You look beautiful, and everyone else is going to think so too!"

Not knowing what to say, she smiled at him, not letting go of his hand. The two of them began to pull up at Phoebe's house when they saw Gerald and Phoebe already waiting outside for them.

"Man, those two must be just as anxious as you are today?" Helga said.

When Arnold pulled over, Gerald and Phoebe stepped into the back seat.

"Hey Arnold! What's up my friend?!" Gerald asked, not noticing Helga.

"Not much. Helga and I just went shopping, since we didn't have any spare clothes this morning." Arnold explained.

Phoebe then looked over to see Helga's new look. "Oh my Helga! You look lovely today!"

Helga began to sweat, as she noticed the awkward silence that existed between Phoebe's and Gerald's response. As Helga began to speak up, "Thanks Phee…" Arnold interrupted by saying, "So, I thought that after we got our tickets, we could head over to the rides. Then maybe stop for some lunch afterwards. We never ate any breakfast."

"Sounds delightful!" Phoebe replied, as Helga remained quiet, continuing to feel Gerald's eyes glaring in disbelief at her appearance.

When they finally made it to the park, Helga had never been so happy to step out of the car. She began to race for the park as Arnold grabbed her hand to wait up for them. "Wait for us!"

"Oh sorry." she said, rubbing the back of her neck. As Gerald and Phoebe stepped out of the car, Phoebe stood beside Helga, while Gerald said, "Uhh, Arnold.. Can I talk to you a moment buddy?"

"I love your new ensemble Helga! You must really be opening up to Arnold!" she assumed.

"Uhh… yeah, I guess you could put it that way." Helga said, yanking at the collar on her sweater, as she watched Gerald take Arnold away.

"So what's going on buddy?" Gerald asked Arnold anxiously.

"What are you talking about?" Arnold asked, knowing Gerald would be a little curious at Helga's new appearance.

"I mean, you spend the night at a hotel with this girl, then come back the next day having her look like Lila II." Gerald said in disbelief.

"Gerald, you're the one who said I'd be taking plenty of steps with her. That's what I'm doing. I'm helping her see there's nothing wrong with showing the world she has a sensitive side." he explained.

"There's not?" Gerald said sarcastically.

"You know, you're not being very supportive. Which is exactly why she's afraid to open up around people." Arnold explained.

"Alright! I'm sorry man." he said, finding the whole situation a bit precarious.

The two walked back over to the girls as Arnold took Helga's hand in his and Gerald took Phoebe's hand in his. Phoebe smiled at Helga, knowing despite how hard it was for her to show it, how happy she must be on the inside.

As they made it to the entrance Helga pulled out her free pass. Gerald looked at her and asked, "Where did you get that?" Helga sighed and said, "One of the few good things that came out of being Johnny Stitches' It Girl when we were in fourth grade."

"Mm.. . I still can't believe he didn't like my disco look!" Gerald said shaking his head.

After the rest of them bought their passes, Arnold lead Helga over to the nearest roller coaster. Helga looked around, waiting for someone they knew to point out her outfit. As the day went on, She began to feel more comfortable in it.

"We are going to get a couple of sodas, we'll be right back." Gerald said, as he and Phoebe left Helga and Arnold sitting on a bench near the food stand.

"So, are you having a good day?" Arnold asked, as he noticed Helga looking around anxiously.

"Oh yeah, it's been great!" she said nervously.

Arnold put his arm around her as she laid her head against him. Just as they got comfortable, they heard, "Hey Aaarrnold! Whose your new girlfriend!"

They turned around to see Harold, Stinky, and Sid. "Helga, is that you? Boy howdy!" sid shouted.

"Whilikers! I don't think I've ever seen her all dolled up like that before!" Stinky added on.

As Helga buried her face in her hands, Arnold was about to get up when Harold, Stinky, and Sid heard from behind, "Watch it there big boy! No one talks to my main man Arnold's girl like that!" Gerald said.

"Come on Gerald, look at her! Have you EVER seen Helga like that before?!" Sid protested.

"If you three don't get out of here right now, I'll tell the Jolly Olly man to start handing out low fat Mr. Fudgey's every time he passes by your houses" Gerald threatened as the three of them ran away.

Phoebe took Helga to the restroom as Gerald sat down beside Arnold. "Thanks for helping out, Gerald."

"No problem buddy. I'm sorry for giving you a hard time earlier." he apologized.

"That's okay, I understand it's hard to look past the way things were between us all in grade school. According to those three, some things may never change about people." Arnold pointed out.

"Which is bad news for bar mitzvah boy!" Gerald said sarcastically.

"Tell me about it! I followed him all over town that day, before we made it to the Synagogue." Arnold explained.

"What'd you do that for?" Gerald asked, yet not surprised.

"He was going to skip his bar mitzvah." Arnold began

"So you just had to save the day." Gerald interrupted.

"Of course. He wanted to rent a boat at the Pier from Paddle Paul's, and start a new life on Elk Island." Arnold continued.

"And you cared because?" he said sarcastically.

"I made him realize the time he spent with his Rabi wasn't a waste. In the short time it took him to get to the pier, he demonstrated righteousness, charity and prayer." Arnold said.

"By switching bodies with you?" he continued in disbelief.

"By giving up a popsicle, reuniting a lost boy with his mom, and standing up to a teenager with prayer." Arnold argued.

"And yet… that's the type of loser those 'helpful' choices turned him into? Good to know" Gerald said, as he glared at Arnold, not knowing who to feel more sympathy for.

The two of them sipped their sodas as they waited for Helga and Phoebe to return.

"I don't know if I can do this Phoebe?!" Helga said sadly, looking at herself in the mirror.

"What are you talking about Helga?" she asked, already knowing the answer.

"I know Arnold wants more than anything for me to open up to him; to not be afraid to show my sensitive side. Not just to him, but to the rest of the world. How can I do that though, if THAT, what we all just witnessed, is going to be the result of it?! If that is what I have to worry about every time I walk out my front door, looking like what is considered to be a GIRL. I get criticized for being a girl who doesn't act like one. I get criticized for being a girl who does try to act like one. What am I supposed to do?! Even if I do want to open up more, my reputation is all people know me for! No one's ever going to forget the way I was when we were kids!" she exclaimed, not knowing what to do.

Phoebe placed a hand on Helga's shoulder, understanding the pain she was going through. "Perhaps a good analogy would be taking a shower."

Helga turned to look at her, as she grabbed some paper towels to blow her nose with. "How does that relate to this situation?"

"Most people who take showers like the water to be as warm as possible. However, it takes the water awhile to warm up to their preferred temperature." Phoebe began to explain.

"Pttss.. Tell me about it." Helga snarled.

"If they're not willing to wait, they have no choice but to jump in, and be thrashed with cold water." she finished.

"What's your point?" Helga asked.

"My point is, it's going to take awhile to reach the destination you're hoping to reach in your relationship. If you're just willing to give it a chance however, you may be surprised at how things turn out." Phoebe pointed out, as Helga blew her nose, thinking about her point.

"There will be a few cold splashes along the way; like what just happened out there. It'll all be worth it in the end however." Phoebe smiled as Helga hugged her.

As they exited the restroom, they saw Gerald and Arnold still talking on the bench. Arnold immediately walked over to Helga when he saw them coming out.

"Are you alright?!" he asked, holding her hand.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry I ran off like that." she said, feeling ashamed of the fact that she still couldn't defend her sensitive side.

"I'm just glad you're okay." Arnold said, as he kissed her. Helga blushed, thinking about how many people in the park must be looking at them, while still trying to keep in mind what Phoebe had said to her.

"Gerald and I were thinking we could all go to 'Antonio's Pizza' for dinner?" Arnold said while holding Helga's hand, hoping anything he suggested would make her feel better.

"Sure, I'm getting pretty hungry." she admitted, while smiling at him.

"Come on, let's get out of here." he said, as he wrapped his arm around her, leading them out of the park. Gerald and Phoebe followed them from behind, holding each other's hands. "That was a sweet thing you did for Helga" Phoebe said to Gerald.

"What are you talking about?" he asked, pretending not to know.

"The way you stood up to the other boys for her. She's a tough girl on the outside, but sensitive on the inside. Which is why letting people see that about herself is so uncomfortable for her. She's going to need all the support she can get until she is finally able to stand up for her sensitive side on her own." Phoebe explained as Gerald rolled his eyes and said, "Man oh man, this is not going to be fun."

Arnold opened the car door for Helga, giving her a short kiss as she got in. Gerald and Phoebe walked up behind them, as Helga immediately scooted inside. "So, Antonio's Pizza? I don't believe I've ever been there before?" Phoebe said as they got in.

"It's not far from the boarding house. I took Pigeon Man there, the day I tried getting him to see leaving his rooftop wouldn't be so bad." Arnold explained.

"Let me guess, you ordered ten pizzas to go, to bring back for the birds?" Helga said sarcastically, as Phoebe tried not to laugh.

"No, but we probably should have. When the two of us returned to his rooftop, we found someone had gone up there and torn down all the cages. His birds were gone; everything was a mess!" he explained.

"Who'd want to waste their time with a bunch of moronic pigeons?" Helga asked.

"Actually Helga, humans have had all sorts of relationships with pigeons over the years from military, domestication, to religion." Phoebe countered.

"Look, we're here!" Gerald said excitedly as Arnold pulled into the parking lot. As Arnold and Gerald stepped out of the car, Helga got out on Phoebe's side. Phoebe watched Helga standing nervously for a moment, watching all the other people already at the restaurant. She looked over at Helga and said, "Just think of this as an opportunity to practice not only your sensitivity, but your patience with the destination of your relationship."

Helga smiled down at her as she took a deep breath. Arnold then came over to take Helga's hand and asked, "Ready?"

Helga gave him a nervous smile as she responded, "Of course, let's go."

Gerald walked beside Phoebe, looking at Arnold and Helga as he shook his head and said, "Mm..mm..mm this is definitely going to take some getting used to."

"You don't really find it to be that strange, do you?" Phoebe asked.

"The girl who glued feathers to his butt is now the girl who can't keep her hands off it?" he said sarcastically, as she continued to smile at Helga.

The four of them made it into the restaurant as they heard the hostess say, "Welcome, how many of there are you?"

Arnold answered, "Four," as Helga noticed all the other girls that were dressed up in the restaurant. Some were wearing skirts and high heels, while others were wearing dresses and jewelry. She glanced down at herself and wondered, _Was she considered to be underdressed now, or did she have nothing to worry about?_

As the hostess sat them at the table, they were given the menus to look at. "Your waitress will be with you shortly!"

No sooner had the menu been handed to him, Gerald said, "I'm going to get me one of these, Extra Jalapeno Supreme Pizzas!"

Helga raised her eyebrow at him as she said, "You sure your anti-tonsil filled throat can handle something like that Geraldo?"

Gerald gave her a glare as he asked, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You could barely handle the solo you were given in our school presentation of 'On Moonlight Bay' after you had them taken out. Is your throat going to be anymore forgiving about those jalapenos?" she snarled.

"Whatever you say Helga." he said, rolling his eyes at her.

"When Gerald and I went to have that checked out at Metro Tonsils, his doctor said it wasn't the first time one of his patients took awhile to recover from the surgery." Arnold pointed out.

"What say we make this interesting. I order one too. First one to finish (or even at all) buys lunch at school for the next week!" she challenged

As Phoebe gave her a look, implying she wasn't being too sensitive, the waitress walked up to ask, "What can I get you folks tonight?"

Arnold looked at the menu and said, "I think I'll just have this pepperoni calzone and a yahoo soda please."

"And for you darlin'" looking over at Phoebe.

"A slice of cheese pizza and a glass of water would be fine, thank you." she said sweetly.

"What can I get for you tonight?" the waitress said, looking over at Gerald. Gerald looked over at Helga glaring at him, with a look that implied, _are you in or out?_ He then turned to the waitress and proudly said, "She and I both are going to have our own Extra Jalapeno Supreme Pizzas with a couple of yahoo sodas!"

Arnold rolled his eyes in disbelief that Gerald had accepted the challenge.

"You two must be hungry! Well, I'll have that out as soon as possible!" she said, walking away from the table.

Trying to change the mood, Arnold said to Gerald. "Helga and I ran into Dino Spumoni on our way out of the hotel this morning."

"What was he doing at a hotel?" Gerald asked curiously.

"Apparently, he and Don are passing out their cards to clubs and hotels to keep their business moving. He invited us over to his place tomorrow night if you and Phoebe are interested in coming?" Arnold asked.

"That would be delightful!" Phoebe jumped in.

As Helga waited anxiously for the pizza, she felt a hand on her should. She assumed it was Arnold, until she noticed both his hands laying on the table. She turned around to see Matt standing there with a smile on his face.

"Matt! What are you doing here?" she exclaimed.

Arnold looked at him, with his heart pounding as he heard Matt respond, "Just hanging out with some friends. You look really nice tonight!"

Helga blushed as she looked at Arnold out of the corner of her eye, not knowing quite how to respond. "Umm, thanks. I guess I'll see you at school."

Matt began to rub her back as he said, "I can't wait to hear your next poem." winking at her.

He turned to walk away, as Helga began to shake. While Phoebe noticed the tension forming in Helga's body, Gerald noticed the anger in Arnold's eyes. Arnold scooted close enough to Helga to wrap his arm around her, and set his other hand on her's, not caring who saw them. As she sat there feeling embarrassed, Arnold whispered to her, "I told you he likes you."

Helga scooted away from Arnold as she said, "It doesn't matter; I don't like him."

Arnold sighed at her remark and said, "That doesn't mean he won't try to 'make' you like him."

Helga glared at his remark and responded, "Are you saying you're worried I can't defend myself? Because that contradicts a bit with your desire for me to be more sensitive!"

"It wouldn't if you had the confidence to be who you are no matter what other people thought of you. You're a strong person on the inside. You don't have to let acting sensitive turn you into a weak person." he explained.

She looked down at the table, feeling the harsh judgement of all the eyes around her. As the waitress was approaching with their food, she suddenly had no appetite.

"Here y'all go! Enjoy!" The waitress said, as she placed the food in front of them.

Gerald looked at his plate with anticipation, as Helga looked at hers, knowing unless he had an asthma attack, she wouldn't be winning the bet.

"Well, may the best eater win!" Gerald said, not caring to see her facial expression.

"I'll be back; I have to use the restroom." Helga said to Arnold.

"Okay, but you better hurry, because I'm not stopping!" Gerald warned her.

"Do you think she's alright?" Arnold asked Phoebe, as he watched Helga walk away.

"I'll go find out for you." Phoebe got up, without thinking twice.

As Helga walked towards the restroom, Matt's table was right outside. He stopped her on the way in and asked, "So, what would you say to hanging out some time?"

Helga sighed at his question and said, "Thanks but I can't." As she entered the restroom, she heard Phoebe following right behind.

"Are you okay Helga?" Phoebe asked.

"I guess Geraldo's finishing up his pizza out there?" Helga asked, looking down at the ground.

"Don't worry, he can barely finish a pint of ice cream!" Phoebe assured her, trying not to laugh.

"I guess I blew it again. Even if I am finally able to make myself okay with this act if public, that doesn't mean I'm ever going to enjoy it. How am I supposed to be confident about something I don't enjoy? That's like supporting something you don't believe in!" Helga argued.

"You just have to ask yourself which means more to you? Relationships are all about sacrifices, and if Arnold really means that much to you, you're going to have to give into the idea of being confident about showing your sensitive side. Say not just to yourself, but the next person who gives you grief about your new image, 'I'm Helga G. Pataki, and I can look however I want whenever I want!' Save your bad girl attitude for when someone _tells_ you not to be who you want to be. Don't let it completely stop you from _being_ who you want to be."

Helga smiled not just at Phoebe's advice, but at the fact that her friend knew so much about her.

"Come on, let's get back to the table. If I'm lucky, tall hair boy might have choked on his pizza." Helga said, as she lead Phoebe out of the restroom.

They made it back to the table as Arnold pulled out Helga's chair for her. He kissed her on the cheek and said to her, "I'm really sorry. I just got jealous. I hope you can forgive me."

She gave him a sweet, sensitive look as she said, "If you help me eat this pizza, I will."

Arnold rolled his eyes as Gerald said, "Hey! That's no fair!"

"Umm you got a fifteen minute head start Geraldo! I'd say that's more than fair!" Helga countered.

"In my defense Helga, I am a little full from this calzone." Arnold said.

"That's okay, I don't have to forgive you." she said, as Arnold began to pick up a slice of pizza.

"Now would be a great time for you to say 'Here, let me help you with that Gerald!'" he turned and said to Phoebe.

"Well, I prefer not to pile toppings on my pizza. It makes the cheese less enjoyable." she countered.

Gerald sighed as Phoebe sat there watching the two pizzas being devoured until finally, Gerald was down to three slices, and Arnold and Helga were each finishing up their last slice.

"Well, here it is, the winning bite!" she exclaimed.

"Fine! I give! I'll buy lunch next week… but it's not going to be pizza!" Gerald said, making it clear to them all.

"Sounds good to me. I'll wave for the check.", said Arnold.

As they waited for the waitress to return, Phoebe mentioned, "I heard there's a Black Sox game at Quigley Stadium tomorrow evening. Perhaps we could all go?"

Arnold nodded in agreement at the idea while saying, "Sounds great, we can go after we stop by Dino's place to check out his music!"

Gerald sat there with a bloated stomach as Phoebe rubbed his back. "How about we all go out for some ice cream? We never did get a chance to grab some at Dino Land." Phoebe suggested.

"If I take one more bite of ANYTHING, I'm blowing chunks!" Gerald insisted.

"Yeah, besides, my family's probably wondering where I've been." Arnold said regretfully, knowing it would mean saying goodbye to Helga soon.

"Here's the check darlin'. Y'all have a good night!" the waitress said, waving goodbye to them.

Looking at Gerald's nauseous face, Arnold sympathetically placed the money on the table to cover everyone's dinner, knowing Gerald would be taking care of everyone's lunch next week.

Phoebe kept her arm around Gerald's back, guiding him out to the car. As the two of them headed for the car, Arnold and Helga followed behind. Arnold squeezed Helga's hand tightly when he noticed them passing Matt and his friends. Helga felt him speeding up as they walked past the other teens. "What are you so worried about? I would never leave you for him!" She said, looking at Arnold filled with disappointment.

"If I mean that much to you, why is it so hard to show it?" he asked, hoping not to start anything.

Helga looked down at the ground, thinking about Phoebe's advice _Say to yourself, 'I'm Helga G. Pataki, and I can look however I want whenever I want!'_

The two of them made it to the car to see Gerald hunched over against it, "So, are you going to unlock it anytime soon?" he asked.

As they got in the car, Gerald slid into the back, laying against the backseat, as Phoebe massaged his stomach. Helga slid into the front seat next to Arnold. "We'll drop you off first Gerald. I can tell you're about to burst." Arnold said.

Helga couldn't help but feel a bit guilty after challenging him to eat as much as he did. Of course, that guilt couldn't compare to the amount of guilt she felt for not being able to show the confidence in her relationship with Arnold in front of Matt, as well as other people.

As they pulled up at Gerald's he wasn't sure he'd be able to make it out of the car. "Let me help you inside Gerald." Phoebe insisted.

Helga watched Phoebe happily walk him up to his porch and into his house. She began to think about the way Phoebe never thought twice about who might be watching, let alone judging, her relationship with Gerald. Helga then took Arnold's hand as he waited for Phoebe to return, and said, "I'm sorry Arnold. I love you!"

Arnold's eyes widened as he heard her say this. Before he could respond, Phoebe returned to the car. "Gerald should be fine. He just needs an anti-acid and a good night's rest."

"Yeah, those jalapenos should cause more damage to his throat than his stomach." Helga said sarcastically, as Arnold paid no attention to their conversation. He anxiously drove to Phoebe's house, ready to finish hearing what Helga had to say.

As they pulled into the driveway, Phoebe grabbed her purse and asked, "So, we're seeing Dino Spumoni tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I told him we'd stop by at some point. I guess it all depends on how soon Gerald is feeling better." Arnold sighed.

"Don't worry, I'm sure he'll be fine. See you tomorrow!" Phoebe said, as she exited the car.

"Well, I guess my house is the next stop." Helga said, trying to break the silence between her and Arnold. As he continued to remain silent, Helga looked at the floor of the car, thinking to herself _Why did I say that? He probably thinks I just did it to get him off my back about the sensitivity crap._

She grew anxious as they continued to ride in silence. "So, I've really enjoyed the past week with you." she said, as her body began to tremble. She started to rub her left arm profusely, not even caring she hadn't received a response from him.

When she was finally able to make herself take her eyes off the floor, she looked up and said, "What are we doing at your place? Aren't you goin…" before she could finish, he began kissing her. As he wrapped his tongue around hers and his arms around her back, she thought to herself _Which one does mean more to me, keeping Arnold's heart, or keeping my reputation in tact?_

When he set her lips free, he kept his face close to hers and asked, "Are you ashamed of me?"

Her eyes lit up as she pushed him off and asked, "What are you talking about?"

"Tears pour from your face when attention is drawn to the fact that we are together. Yet, you don't want to leave me?" he contemplated.

She squeezed his hand tighter than she ever had before as she looked into his eyes and said, "I'm ashamed of _myself!_ If I hadn't spent my life building up this reputation, the idea of showing my sensitive side to people wouldn't be so petrifying to me. Had I just spent my life learning to shake off criticism as you do, I wouldn't be caught in this conundrum!"

He rubbed her hand as he said, "Come on, let's go inside."

"Don't you need to take me home?" she asked, as she watched him exit the car.

"You can sleep in my room with me. I'll go downstairs for a moment just to let everyone know I'm home. We can climb up the fire escape." Arnold said confidently.

"Alright, just let me make a phone call." she said, as she pulled out her phone to call Olga.

After a few rings, a squeaky voice picked up…

"Hello!"

"Hey Olga. Listen, I'm sleepin' over with Pheebs again."

"Oh goody! A sleepover!"

"Yeah, whatever. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Sleep well baby sister!"

"Uh huh"

After her undesired conversation with her older sister, Helga grabbed her things and left the car. As she and Arnold climbed up the fire escape, she caught Arnold stopping to stare at her.

"What are you looking at football head?"

"I was just thinking about the last time I saw you on my fire escape." he began.

"You mean when I slept walked over here thanks to Bob's stupid snack food and Miriam's wreckless driving. I thought we covered that story already?" she pointed out.

"Yeah, but back then you were wearing goofy pajamas with your hair in pigtails. Now you're dressed in a fashionable outfit with your hair pulled back. When we were kids, I never expected to fall in love with you." he explained.

She understood his point, while at the same time, began to hurt. She thought about how anti-feminine she was thought out to be as a kid; the last girl a guy would want to be with. Perhaps that was why she couldn't give into her sensitive side. It just wasn't the type of person she enjoyed being.

"Well, life's full of surprises football head." she said as she smiled and continued to climb. Making it to the last step, she slipped, falling backward onto Arnold. He was able to catch her, before she plummeted down the staircase. As she sat there on top of him, she turned to look back before standing up. Helga looked into Arnold's eyes, thinking about all the times he had been there to help her…

When she fell out of the school window during the flood

When he took her to the April Fools dance

When he walked her home after giving her amnesia

When he told her he liked her comedy act

When he convinced Patty not to beat her up

"Thank you." she whispered to him. As he smiled at her, he said with relief, "I'm just glad you're not hurt." She continued to look into his eyes and said, "Not just for catching me, but for all the times in life you've helped me. I was never nice to you, but that didn't stop you from being there for me when you saw I was in trouble." she admitted, looking ashamed. Arnold motioned he was ready to stand up, as she moved, he helped her up, and said to her reassuringly, "I will always be here to catch you."

She hugged him tight as he grabbed her things and said, "Let's get you inside, before Matt bothers you again," he winked.

As they climbed through his window, they set her things down beside his bed. She got out the new nightgown Arnold had insisted she buy. Although she would never admit it to him, she was happy to have something comfortable to wear to bed that night.

"I'm going downstairs for a few minutes while you change, just to let my parents know I'm home. Be right back!" he assured her.

She smiled as he left, thinking to herself...

 _Oh Arnold! When will I give into my foolish ways, and treat you with the love and care you manage to show for me every day? When will I at last admit to myself your happiness means more to me than any other person's? If only you could see the torture it brings upon my soul, witnessing the pain you feel being seen as second to my never ending scorching. Continue to use your strong wisdom and judgment of my true soul to look past the pain my outer ways may cause you. Your faith is as strong as my love is for you._

When Arnold made it downstairs, he saw Stella washing dishes in the kitchen, while Miles and Phil were playing cards at the table.

"Where have you been, son?" Miles asked curiously.

Not wanting them to know about the hotel, Arnold came up with the quickest excuse he could think of. "Well, I spent the afternoon with Gerald. Then when we decided it would be fun to spend all day Saturday with some of our friends, I figured it would make things easier just to spend the night over there. He already had some of my clothes I had left from the last time I slept over, so there was no reason for me to come home."

They looked at him suspiciously, until finally Phil spoke up, "So, was your girlfriend at the park with you?" he asked while winking.

After hearing this, Stella turned around, wondering if Arnold had been with Helga the entire time. "Not last night, but there is something I have to tell you." they all looked at him, as Arnold began to feel guilty about holding back his honesty.

"I brought her home with me tonight. Her parents don't treat her well, and I just felt bad about taking her back home." he said, hoping they would feel guilty enough to look past the fact that the two of them were sleeping in the same room.

"What do you mean they don't treat her well?" Stella asked.

"The kid's been angry her entire life! They probably just don't feed her enough." Phil said, butting in.

Arnold rolled his eyes at the response, as he answered, "Her mom is an alcoholic, and her dad is too caught up with work to pay her any attention. They never ask her about school, buy her new clothes, or even get her name right! They've neglected Helga her entire life, because all they care about is her older sister, Olga."

Arnold's parents looked at him with sympathy in their eyes as they responded, "Okay, she can stay when she needs to. Just no funny business; you two also make sure to get your school work done!"

"Thanks!" he yelled, as he ran back upstairs.

"Don't you guys want something to eat?" Stella asked.

"We just ate some pizza with Gerald and Phoebe. We won't be hungry the rest of the night." he assured them.

"Boy goes out for pizza, and doesn't bring any back for his family? What the heck kind of grandson does that?" Phil asked.

Arnold raced back to his room to find Helga sitting on her bed in her purple nightgown. It had a short sleeved, 'v' neck collar, was practically see through, and went down to her knees. She had forgotten she was still wearing her hair in the clip he had bought for her earlier. He couldn't take his eyes off how beautiful she looked sitting their in it, going through her homework.

Finally, she noticed him staring at her, as she asked, "What's with the frozen look?" Choking on his words, he answered, "I was just looking at you in that gown, thinking about how I always thought pink was your color. After seeing you in that though, I'm not sure what to think?"

She looked down, trying not to let him see her smile, as he walked over to sit beside her. "Did you get a lot of homework?" he asked.

"Nah. My poetry teacher is really the only one who ever assigns anything. I think the rest of the teachers just like putting people to sleep with their boring lectures. Then half the time, they just assign chapters for us to read, because they don't even feel like doing that!" she said, rolling her eyes in disbelief. "What about you?"

"That's sort of how my classes are. My calculus teacher is the only one who comes down hard on us. I think I may have a few questions to answer. I'll have to double check my syllabus." he said, rubbing the back of his neck.

Helga began putting her books away, as she noticed Arnold grabbing some to help her.

"You don't have to do that?" she said, feeling vulnerable. He rolled his eyes at her and said, I really wish you would start letting people do things for you. I mean, I'm putting your books away, with no one else around. I'm not carrying you to class in front of all our friends. Even if I was, I think you made me do that, the day you PRETENDED to have amnesia!" he glared at her, while still smiling.

She began to blush, wishing she hadn't come clean about everything. Then finally responded, "Hey, it's your own fault for not watching the direction you were hitting that baseball in! You deserved to be messed with!"

He began to move closer to her, continuing to smile, as a nervous look formed on her face. Eventually, she had no choice but to lay down, as he was practically on top of her, "Whatever you say Helga."

As the two of them laid there looking into each other's eyes, she continued to be amazed at his patience with her attitude, and irritated with her inability to control it. Their lips then met, as he gave her what started as a soft sweet kiss, but turned into a long passionate one. They couldn't let go of each other, as he wrapped his tongue around hers, pulling her in as tight as possible. He slipped his arms underneath her nightshirt, wanting to pull it off, but not being able to take his mouth off hers.

When they were finally out of breath, he sat her up for a moment to take off her gown. Putting his head against hers, keeping his hands on her breasts, as they continued to sit up, he said, "I'll continue having patience with you. It's not my job to change you. I really wish you would let your confidence show through your sensitive side however." he whispered.

Pulling her head off his, she gave him an offended look as she said, "Hey, am I not letting you do whatever you'd like to me right here and now? Is that not a good enough sign of "proud weakness" for you. What a stupid oxymoron!" she snarked.

He laughed as he got up and said, "Good point." She watched him walk over to her backpack to grab something.

"Why are you going through my things?" she asked, until she saw him sitting back down on the bed with her ribbon.

"Oh no! She said. I'll behave, I promise." she smiled.

"I don't think you will." he said, as he grabbed her arms and tied them behind her just tight enough for her to stay put.

She rolled her eyes at him, as she sat there tied up, wearing nothing but her pink underwear, with her locket hanging from her neck. He looked at her and said, "You don't like letting people think you're a weak person. When they see you dress feminine, you allow them to let you know you feel that way about yourself. Don't let them do that! Dress how you want. Act how you want. Then when people give you grief about it, stand up and say to them, 'my life is none of your business.'"

When she couldn't make herself look at him, he turned her face toward his and began to kiss her. He laid her down with his tongue wrapped around hers, holding her breast tight.

"I guess this would be more fun if I was undressed too" he said, as they both laughed.

Helga laid there practically naked, looking at the stars through his ceiling. A whole new feeling took over her. Every time they did that she thought to herself, _Arnold's right. Why do I let people know that they bother me? If I'm really as tough as I act, changing my appearance shouldn't change my attitude._

Arnold came back over, completely undressed, with a condom in his hand. "Now's your chance to prove being vulnerable won't affect your level of confidence." he said, smiling at her.

"I think we've done this once already; what more can I prove to you?" she said, as she rolled her eyes.

"Okay, then it's just for fun." he said as he threw himself on top of her, kissing her passionately, feeling her breasts, as he rubbed her nipples. Wrapping his tongue around hers, he began to rub his body against hers harder, feeling her locket against his chest. When he finally took his lips off hers, he whispered in her ear, "Are you ready?"

She smiled as she smirked at him and asked, "Do I have a choice?"

He rolled his eyes as he slipped off her underwear, still panting from the excitement. As he took her legs to spread them, her heart began to pound. Partly because she knew what was coming; partly because, his parents knew she was there. Before she could finish her thoughts, she felt his member slide far into her. As she was about to gasp from a bit of pain, he bent over to kiss her. Leaning down to kiss her, he wrapped his arms around her shoulders, pressing as tight as he possibly could. As he rubbed himself in and out of her quick and hard, he reached behind her back to hold her hands. She was locked with him in every position, having never felt so close to him. Even after falling out of breath, they couldn't let go of each other. They laid there with their lips on each other's, his member inside of hers, and his arms behind her back with their fingers laced.

 _Is this feeling worth losing, all because of my foolish pride? He can't continue being this patient with me forever!_ She thought to herself.

She took her lips off his slowly and said to him, "Please forgive me!"

He looked at her, knowing what she must be talking about, but to make her feel better, asked "For what?"

"I've been thinking, and it's not just that I can't change. It might be that I don't 'want' to change. I told you I'm not like the other girls. I don't enjoy the types of things they do. Standing up to other people who make fun of me for acting sensitive would mean having to defend something I don't really care about. It's soul crushing however, because the one thing that is worth defending is my love for you! Hopefully, that helps you understand why I..."

As she continued explaining, while trying not to cry, she was cut off by a long, passionate kiss. Arnold pressed himself against her as hard as he could, until finally he said to her.

"Okay, I'm starting to see how this is unfair."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"I'm trying to work as hard as I can on you, but at the same time, I don't want to let go of your hands." he said, trying to laugh quietly.

Helga smiled as she gave him the, _I told you so_ , look. He unleashed his hands from hers, as he began to sit up. Keeping his member inside her, he knelt back looking at her, thinking about what she had said. "Be however you want. I'd just appreciate it if you didn't act ashamed to be seen with me in front of others, whether you are or not.

When Arnold saw Helga struggling to sit up, he pulled her up close to him. They were resting heads against one another when she finally said, "You're the last person I would ever be ashamed to be seen with."

As he looked into her eyes, he untied her. She threw her arms around his neck and gave him a kiss that she hoped was hard enough to imply how deep her feelings were for him. He pulled her head in, returning those feelings. The two sat there pressing their lips together intensely, until they finally felt the exhaustion from the day was upon them.

Arnold said to her, "Let's get some sleep. Would you like to wear your ribbon to bed?" he winked at her, as she nearly shoved him off the bed. The two crawled under the covers together, sleeping naked, side by side. Arnold with his arm wrapped around Helga, as she rested her head on his chest. The two fell asleep with a sigh of relief.

Arnold feeling relieved every time Helga showed she was continuing to feel more comfortable opening up to him. Helga feeling relieved seeing Arnold's patience with her conflicted decision as to whether or not she should change her behavior.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Do You Believe In Love?

The next morning, the were awoken by a text from Phoebe.

"Good morning Helga. Gerald's stomach is much better. He would like to know if you and Arnold would care to join us for breakfast at 'The Donut Cafe'?"

As Helga was reading the text, Arnold sat up to put his hand on her shoulder. Forgetting for a moment they were naked, he pulled up the covers and asked, "Who's the text from?"

"Pheebs wants to know if we'd care to join her and Geraldo for donuts at 'The Donut Cafe'." she responded.

Arnold continued rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, as he said, "I guess that means Gerald's feeling better?"

"Yeah, or at least she says he is. Unless he decides to eat his weight in doughnuts." Helga snarled as Arnold pulled her back down under the covers with him. He wrapped one arm around her, with his other hand on her breasts. Looking into her eyes, he said, "I'm so happy you're here with me."

She began to blush, as she started to say, "I'm hap…" but was cut off as he started to kiss her. He pulled her body tightly against his, beginning to rub as hard as he could, without needing a condom. Finally, she pulled away and said, "Maybe we should get dressed. Breakfast will be over soon."

Arnold sighed and nodded as the two got up to grab their clothes. "So, should I take you to buy ANOTHER new outfit today, so you're not wearing the same thing again?" he laughed.

She rolled her eyes, refraining from throwing anything at him. "Shut up!"

"So, are they already there waiting for us?" he asked.

"I think she's waiting to hear back from us. I'll text her and let her know we're on the way." Helga said.

As Helga texted Phoebe, Arnold went downstairs to see his parents. He passed his grandpa in the living room, reading a book, trying to ignore his grandma acting out a crazy western cowgirl act.

"Hey grandpa!"

"Hey shortman! How was your night with your girlfriend?" Phil asked as he winked.

Arnold blushed as he asked "Have you seen my parents?"

His grandma interrupted to say, "They went on an important mission to outer space! For the sake of the planet, we may never see them again!"

Phil glared at her, then looked back at Arnold to say, "By outer space, she means the grocery store, and by never again, she means in an hour."

Arnold laughed and said, "Okay, well Helga and I are going to meet Gerald and Phoebe for doughnuts. After that we're going over to Dino Spumoni's house to check out some of his new music. Then, we've got tickets to a Black Sox game, so we'll probably be gone all day."

"Well all right, but if you go out for pizza, remember to bring some back for me this time!" Phil said hopefully.

"Right, sorry about that grandpa." he said, trying not to laugh.

As Arnold exited the living room, he saw Helga walking down the stairs in her pink tank top and blue jeans.

"I just realized something." he said shockingly.

Helga looked at him anxiously, as she asked, "What is it?"

"You've had your hair in that clip since we left the store yesterday" he pointed out.

She reached up to feel it sitting on her head, as she answered, "Oh, I guess I forgot about it."

As she began to pull it out, Arnold screamed, "Stop! I mean… I think you should leave it in. It looks nice on you." He said, while blushing, as Helga looked at him with wide eyes. "Maybe YOU should keep it, if it means that much to you?" she said wittingly.

"Very funny. So, are they ready for us?" he asked, embarrassed by his outburst.

"Pheebs said they're on their way there now. I guess that means we can get going. I won't make any crazy bets this time." she promised.

"I'll believe it when I DON'T see it." he winked at her, as she gave him a threatening look, knowing it still wouldn't make him regret would he said.

"Well, we're leaving. See you tonight!" Arnold shouted down the hall to his grandparents.

"Alright shortman!" Phil said, keeping his eyes on his newspaper.

The two of them walked to the car, as Arnold noticed some pink carnations growing around the front porch. When Helga stepped into the car, she turned around to see Arnold holding one up to her.

"What's this for?" she asked, while hesitating to take it from him.

Looking down at her, while holding her hand in one, and the flower in the other, he said to her, "We've been together awhile now. Maybe not 'officially' as boyfriend and girlfriend. Still, we've known about the feelings we've had for each other for quite some time. In all that time, I never thought to do what every guy does for the girl he has feelings for… give her a flower. It's almost as beautiful as you are! I'm sorry I don't have a box of chocolates to go with it."

She thought back to fourth grade, when she pretended to have amnesia. Her heated melted when Arnold gave her a flower that day, thinking she didn't know what they were. Now here he was, doing it out of love rather than kindness.

"You know this means you have to give me one every day now right?" she said, trying to keep her cool.

He bent down to kiss her as he smiled, before walking around to get into the car. "We'll see about that."

As he walked around to his side of the car, she looked down at the flower, thinking to herself, _Oh Arnold my love! After all these years, you're returning the feelings I've so long awaited to see you reveal to me. The feelings you had hidden underneath, that my scorching behavior was too distracting for you to see._

"So, let's get going. I bet they're wondering what's taking us so long." Arnold laughed as Helga gave a weak smile, twiddling her flower.

When he saw her continuing to look at the flower, with an awkward silence, he couldn't help but ask, "Did I take things too far last night?"

She looked over at his with a blank stare, "What are you talking about?"

His shoulders began to tense, not looking in her direction, as he explained, "I know how mixed your feelings are right now. I know it's not your fault that Matt won't leave you alone, and I know you can't just force yourself to be like other girls. Also, while I enjoy our 'activities' I would never want to make you uncomfortable. I hope you believe me when I say you can trust me, and I love you with all my heart."

She began to massage his shoulder, noticing the tension building up in them. "I know how much you love me, Arnold. You're one of the few people I feel I can trust in this world. Thank you for always being there for me." she smiled at him, as the two were tempted to pull over and physically express their feelings for each other.

Helga then pointed out that she could see 'The Donut Cafe.' "There it is! I see them standing outside."

Arnold pulled the car over as he saw Helga beginning to pull out her hair pin. "I guess it had to come out at some point?" he said with a weak smile.

She handed him the flower and asked, "Will you replace it with this?"

Arnold's weak smile was replaced with an enormous grin. As he helped her, Helga thought about how lucky she was to be with someone that excited to show her off. She viewed herself in the mirror before they jumped out of the car, and said to Arnold, "A rose might have had more class, but I'll be able to pull this off I suppose." she said wittingly.

He smiled at her remark, happy she was finally showing some pride in her femininity. The two of them then exited the car, and approached their two best friends, who were waiting anxiously for them at the front door.

"Hey Gerald, feeling better?" Arnold asked, hopefully.

"Yeah, but I won't be trying anything like that again any time soon!" he said reassuringly.

"I could go for a cup of coffee. Is it as good as those doughnuts they appear to be bragging about?" Helga asked curiously.

"It's said to be exquisit! We should hurry before the good ones are taken!" Phoebe insisted.

The group walked inside as Arnold lead them to a table he knew Helga would like, near the window. She, Arnold and Phoebe sat down, as Gerald said anxiously, "I'm going to grab us some doughnuts! They have a sample platter, that gives you practically every doughnut on the menu!"

"I'll go with you. You can't carry all that, AND the coffee!" Arnold insisted as he left Phoebe and Helga alone at the table.

The two girls sat there patiently awaiting the return of their boyfriends, when Phoebe noticed the flower in Helga's hair. "Oh my! What a lovely new hair piece!"

"Thanks Pheebs. Arnold picked it this morning, when we were getting into the car." Helga explained, trying to hide her emotions.

"You seem quite comfortable with it. This shows extreme signs of improvement in revealing your sensitive side." Phoebe pointed out.

"Yeah, I suppose." Helga sighed, as Phoebe noticed her rubbing her hand, staring sadly at the table.

"Is something wrong, Helga?" she asked.

Helga didn't hesitate to respond, although she couldn't help but blush. "You know Arnold and I have umm 'eaten ice cream' a few times now." she began as Phoebe nodded, not taking her eyes off Helga.

"I told him the reason I may be having a hard time being strong while showing my feminine side, is because it would be as if I was defending something I don't believe in. I told him I've never cared for that 'girly girl' stuff, so why should I stand up and threaten someone for making fun of something, I have no true interest in?" she explained.

Seeing her point, Phoebe asked, "What did he have to say about it?"

"When we were… ummm 'eating ice cream'... he told me to be however I wanted. He would just appreciate it if I didn't act ashamed to be seen with him. Apparently, that's how my 'bad girl' attitude has been making him feel." she said, full of despair.

"Oh my! That's not how you really feel is it?" Phoebe asked, ready to hear more.

"Oh give me a break Phoebe! You of all people know he's the last person I would feel ashamed to be with! Helga scowled.

"Well, do you believe in your love for Arnold? If fighting for what you believe in really means that much to you, I would think he would come first." Phoebe questioned.

Helga turned her head to look over at Arnold standing at the counter with Gerald. She thought to herself _How could I be so self centered? All my life I've longed to be near him. Now here I am acting as I did, all the years I tried hiding my love. Only now, rather than looking past me, he's fighting for me. I must find a way to make things right!_

Meanwhile, Arnold and Gerald were waiting for their doughnuts and coffee to take back to the table.

"So, I take it you had a rough night Gerald?" Arnold said, referring to his stomach pain.

"I took an antacid, then fell asleep to a marathon of Pop-Daddy. It could have been worse I guess. How was the ride home with Helga?" he explained.

"She actually came home with me." Arnold said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Why am I not surprised?" Gerald said sarcastically.

"When Phoebe was helping you inside, Helga apologized and told me she loves me." he began to explain.

"Well, there's the sensitivity you've been fishing for I guess." Gerald said, trying to close the case on Arnold's confusion.

"After considering she only shows her love for me when we're alone, I asked if she's ashamed to be with me." Arnold began to explain.

"Ashamed of you? Shouldn't it be the other way around?" Gerald said, amazed at Arnold's question.

Arnold rolled his eyes, as he continued on. "She said she's ashamed of herself and her life-long reputation. Then she said the reason she may be so weak when people make fun of her for acting feminine is because she would find it hypocritical to attack them for judging something she herself has no interest in."

"Mm..mm..mmm. Well, I guess all you can do is be patient with her. She knows who you are. Hopefully, you two will eventually figure out who she is." Gerald said wittingly.

"Here are your doughnuts and coffee!" The cashier said as they turned to grab their things.

"Thanks!" They both replied, as they headed back to the table, to see Helga and Phoebe chatting, while anxiously awaiting their return.

"Here's your coffee Helga." Arnold said, as he handed it over, while thinking to himself _She's so beautiful with that carnation in her hair._

Gerald placed the sample platter of doughnuts on the table, as he looked to Phoebe excitedly and said, "You have to try these jelly powder puffs! My man Fuzzy Slippers said they are the bomb!"

Arnold placed his arm around Helga as she took a sip of her coffee. She noticed everyone giving her a look, as Arnold continued to smile at her. As she took in the stares, she thought about Phoebe's question _Do you believe in your love for Arnold?._ Knowing it to be true, Helga took a deep breath, then put her hand on top of Arnold's.

Phoebe smiled at Helga as she swallowed her doughnut and said, "Maybe Fuzzy Slippers should recommend more places for us to eat."

"You said it baby!" Gerald said with a huge grin, not being able to take his eyes off his plate.

"Slow down there Geraldo! We wouldn't want a repeat of last night." Helga insisted.

While Gerald's eyes were buried in his plate, Arnold's eyes were glued to Helga's face. Helga felt him leaning closer, trying to stay focused on her coffee. When Gerald's plate was clean, he finally had an excuse to look up. As he saw Arnold leaning in, and Helga too nervous to react, he decided to help out. "Will you just kiss her while we're young please?!"

Helga's face turned bright red, as Arnold began to rub her back. As uncomfortable as she was, she said to herself _Arnold means more than my reputation! ARNOLD means more than my reputation! Arnold means more than my REPUTATION!_

She decided to end the tension herself by turning to kiss him. She expected it to be two seconds, but something changed when she went in. Her tension disappeared, and the thought of everyone around her watching disappeared. Arnold held her hand tight, and she continued to hold onto his lips.

Phoebe watched, smiling as she saw how comfortable her friend finally was revealing her sensitive side in front of others.

Arnold and Helga were then broken out of their romantic daze as they heard, "You two are going to make me sick...again!"

They broke it off as Arnold looked over and said to Gerald, "Weren't you the one who just told us to kiss?"

"KISS, not _make out!_ " Gerald corrected him.

As Helga rolled her eyes and dropped Arnold's arm, Phoebe jumped in to ask, "So, what time is Dino Spumoni expecting us?"

"I told him we would just call when we were on our way." Arnold said.

"Well if Tall Hair Boy's done stuffing his face, I guess we can head on over there." Helga suggested.

The four of them stood up, as Gerald was tempted to go back to the counter and requested some jelly powder puffs to go. After noticing the look on his face, Arnold said to Gerald, "Come on, the girls have already made it to the door!"

Gerald began to follow slowly with a discarded look on his face, as he turned to Arnold and asked, "So, what exactly are we going over there for?"

"To hear the new music Dino and Don put together for the businesses they're performing at." he said, annoyed.

"Okay, but this better not be a trap to get those two back together again! Their music and lyrics are good when they work together, but when they try it alone… their music's a bigger mess than chocolate boy!" Gerald insisted

"Whatever you say Gerald." Arnold sighed as he unlocked the car. Gerald and Phoebe sat in the backseat together, as Helga slid close to Arnold up front.

"I'm quite looking forward to this. Dino turned out to be a true success at our grade school dance!" Phoebe said excitedly, as Arnold pulled out his phone to make the call.

"Hello?"

"Hi Dino? It's Arnold."

"Oh, hey kid. You kids stoppin' by?"

"Yeah, we're on our way now!"

"Great. See ya in a few."

"Why do I feel like we're being invited to a karaoke party?" Helga said, as she watched the neighborhood turn from apartments and markets, to mansions and malls.

"Don't worry, we won't stay long." Arnold assured her, as he put his hand on her lap.

Watching from the back, Gerald rolled his eyes. While he was happy for Arnold, he just couldn't get over the idea of his best friend dating their worst enemy.

"Here we are!" Arnold said excitedly, as the rest of them focused on the extraordinariness of the house. A personalized security gate with a brick pathway leading to the three story crystal white house with a sky blue roof and windows.

The four of them got out of the car as Arnold parked near the garage, which appeared to be the size of an average one story house. They walked up the porch steps to knock on the door. As they stood there waiting, Helga imagined what it would be like to live in a place as luxurious as this with Arnold. No ungrateful family to make her feel neglected, no crumby hand-me downs from older siblings, no dealing with the everyday drama that seemed to come with their already stressful school lives. She was then snapped out of her fantasy land when the door opened, as they heard...

"Oh, hi ya's kids. Don and me are practicin' in the other room. Come on in!" Dino said excitedly, as the four of them followed him inside. Phoebe was intrigued by the paintings and sculptures decorating each room. Everything reminded her of their class trip to The Museum of Art in fourth grade.

Gerald continued to follow, while thinking himself _I hope that Don guy isn't the one writing the music this time!_

When they came to where Don was practicing, Helga, Gerald, and Phoebe all took a seat on the couch, while Arnold went over to speak to Don. "Hey, I haven't seen you since you and and Dino rented rooms at the boarding house!"

"Yeah, if it hadn't been for you and your friend over there, he and I never would have gotten back together." Don admitted, giving a weak smile.

Helga sat back on the couch, thinking to herself _Another humanitarian act performed by Arnold. Will he ever cease to amaze the town?_

Almost too scared to ask, Gerald leaned forward in his seat and said, "So, what have you guys been working on recently?"

"Glad you asked kid! The karaoke club nextdoor to the hotel we ran into y'all at requested something new yet similar to our old work. Therefore, we decided to do a remake of 'Darling you left my heart.' Here's the first few lines of it!"

 _I woke the next day, to find you weren't there_

 _The light in your eyes, the sweet smell of your hair._

 _You never loved me, you never did care_

 _You left my heart all full of despair._

 _The pain I'm left with is too much to bare_

 _The place you've left me just isn't fair._

As Don played the piano, Dino sung the lyrics, watching Arnold smile heavily at the performance, while the rest of the groups' interest remained unclear.

Gerald had a look of relief on his face which cried, _At least there are no screaming cats around!_

Phoebe appeared indecisive as she sat there thinking _it's not as upbeat as the music that was played at the school dance._

While those two sat looking unamused, Helga's eyes formed a look of despair. As she listened to the lyrics, she was reminded of the pain her unrequited love for Arnold brought upon her in grade school. While listening to the music, she realized despite the similarities between the song and the feelings she had as a kid, there was a major difference. SHE was the cause of her own suffering. Despite Arnold always caring for her, she created pain for herself by allowing her aggressive behavior to push him away.

"Well, that's pretty much all we've got so far kids." Dino said regretfully, as Helga looked away. Hoping no one would notice the tears forming in her eyes.

"It was great! Thanks for letting us listen to it." Phoebe clapped, hoping to show some manners, as Helga finally turned to face towards them and said, "It was okay. We should get going if we're going to make it to the Black Sox game on time, don't you think?"

"I guess you're right." Arnold admitted as he stood up and waved. "Thanks for having us over. I guess we'll see you around town."

"Knock 'em dead at that concert! _Hopefully your music won't"_ Gerald said, as he stood up.

"It was a delight seeing your home. I'm sure your concert will be quite a success." Phoebe added on as Helga scowled, "Yeah, yeah. Let's get going." hoping not to hear anymore sweet lyrics that would make her heart melt.

"Bye you'ze kids. Thanks for stoppin' by!" Dino and Don waved as the four of them headed for the door. Phoebe examined the art work one last time on her way out, as Helga stared at the floor with tense shoulders, hoping to forget what had just happened back there.

"Man! It's good to be away from those two! So exactly what time is the game?" Gerald asked, thrilled to have the visit behind them.

"The game starts at two, which should give us enough time to get over there before the first inning starts." Arnold said reassuringly, as he and the gang walked to the car.

As Arnold was pulling out the keys, Phoebe noticed Helga looking depressed on the other side of the car. She walked over to check on her and asked, "Is everything alright Helga?"

Helga sighed with annoyance, mostly at her own feelings, as she explained, "That stupid song in there just reminded me of some things. That's all."

While having an idea of what she might be referring to, Phoebe refrained from asking any further questions on the matter. Instead, she patted her friend on the back and said, "Everything is going to be okay."

The car unlocked as Arnold said, "Let's go everybody!" Gerald slid in anxiously, as Phoebe sat beside him. Before getting in, Helga stood there, feeling the flower in her hair. _Am I still that same lonely-hearted girl who continues to remain the cause of her own pain?_

Her thoughts were then interrupted as she heard, "Helga, are you going to get in the car?"

Seeing she was still hesitant, Arnold held out his hand to help Helga into the car. As she stepped in, he could see the troubled look in her eyes. The two of them looked at each other, forgetting Gerald and Phoebe were in the back seat.

"Are you feeling okay?" he asked Helga, while still not having let go of her hand. She looked down at him holding her, until she was finally able to make herself say, "I'm fine. I guess one of those doughnuts just isn't sitting right."

He released her hand to begin driving the car, while still giving her a questioning look. Helga began to tremble, hoping Arnold wouldn't ask again if she was okay. As they were driving to the stadium, Helga sat there wondering how she could deserve to be with Arnold, after everything she had put him through. While that song was about the pain someone felt from another person leaving. She began to think, what terrible things might that person have done to make the other person leave. Relating to her relationship with Arnold, would he one day leave her if defending her aggressive behavior was really a top priority of hers? He doesn't have too big a problem with dealing with it now, but there's only so much a person can take. Feelings change. If they were to someday get married, is that something he would be willing to deal with, let alone accept… then maybe even defend for the rest of their entire lives?!

Arnold continued to occasionally glance over at Helga, while still trying to keep his eyes on the road. He then heard a small sigh, come from her direction. Before he was able to question her, she received a text.

Helga looked down to see it was from Phoebe…

"Whatever thought came into your mind about the relationship back there, dragging it out will only make things worse."

She smiled at the advice and texted back…

"You're right, and I will. I just hate how different we both are, while still loving each other as much as we do."

Phoebe quickly responded, before Helga even had a chance to set her phone back down…

"Sometimes the differences in a relationship are what make them even more special. Your partner showing they can accept them about you, is what proves how much you really mean to them."

After reading this, Helga put away her phone to look at Arnold. _What could I have done to make myself mean so much to him, that he's willing to overlook all the negativity I have shown towards him throughout the years?_

At last, they pulled up at Quigley Stadium. Gerald stepped out of the car with anticipation as he said, "I'm getting myself a yahoo soda, a hotdog, a pretzel…"

"What is it with you and stuffing your face lately? Sheesh!" Helga exclaimed.

Phoebe looked back and forth as she whispered to Helga, "I'm afraid Gerald maybe a bit nervous about an election for class president that's approaching."

"Therefore, his plan is to gain an additional twenty pounds before presenting himself for whatever picture is needed for the flyers and public speech he'll be making to go along with them. Makes sense." Helga sneered as she rolled her eyes.

Ignoring Helga's witty remark, Phoebe went over to catch up with Gerald. Helga was left waiting for Arnold to finish locking the car. She gulped as he examined her leaning against it with crossed arms, and gave her a concerned look that read, _What's been bothering you?_

As he held out his hand for hers, she shook reaching for it. She saw the look of disappointment in his eyes, knowing he must be thinking to himself, _I guess she's never going to be comfortable being seen with me?_

When she felt Arnold's hand began to loosen, as if he was giving her the opportunity to leave him, she heard her phone beep. It was another text from Phoebe.

 _Remember, as yourself which means more to you? Arnold, or your reputation?_

Helga looked up to see Phoebe glancing back at her, with Gerald's arm still around her shoulder.

After reading the text, she looked up at Arnold's disappointed facial expression. "Who was the text from?" he asked.

"Uhh Phoebe?" she said, hoping he wouldn't find it too awkward.

"Phoebe, but she's right there?" he pointed with confusion, as Helga began to smile. "Why didn't she just come over here?"

Helga looked at the innocence in his eyes, listened to the ignorance in his question, the concern for an answer, and thought about how, despite everything that had happened, everything she had done to make him feel as low as she had over the years, he was still standing beside her.

She then wrapped her arm around his waist, leaned her head against his shoulder and answered, "We were just talking about something important."

He looked down at her with confusion, wondering what all of a sudden made her cozy up to him. "What were you talking about?"

As she began to squeeze him tight, she took one of his hands in hers, lacing their fingers together, sighed gently and said "You."

Arnold glanced down at her with a huge smile on his face, asking himself _What brought this on? Whatever it was, don't let it go away!_

The two of them smiled, continuing to walk proudly side by side all the way to the entrance. When they were standing beside Phoebe and Gerald, Helga gave Phoebe a grateful expression, while Arnold couldn't take his eyes off Helga. Gerald, anxiously bought the tickets, knowing the food would be as great as the game.

Not wanting to let go of her hand, Arnold said to Helga, "Let me buy our tickets really quick." She stepping back, still grinning at him, as Phoebe came over to say, "I guess you finally made a decision?"

"You're right Pheebs. No one's opinion of me could ever be worth losing what I have with him. Thanks for always being there for me, and opening my eyes to that." Helga said, with a smile on her face.

Phoebe looked up with a look of relief in her eyes and said, "What are friends for?"

"Now let's see if we can come up with some diet advice for Geraldo." Helga snarled, changing the subject.

Phoebe laughed as the boys returned with the tickets. "I think we got some decent seats. Not too far from the game, but not so close we have to worry about being hit by any fowl balls," Arnold said jokingly.

"Not unless Eugene is nearby!" Helga said wittingly.

Arnold rolled his eyes as he took Helga's hand and said, "Well, let's go inside!"

The two of them headed for their seats as Gerald said to Phoebe, "You mind if we hit the snack stand first baby?"

Listening to what he had to say, Arnold stopped Helga and said, "Actually, it might not be a bad idea to grab some food to take in there. Would you like anything?"

"Eh, why not? I could go for some popcorn and a soda." she said, trying to keep her cool.

As the boys anxiously went to get in line, Phoebe walked over to speak with Helga. "You haven't stopped smiling since we made it inside."

"I just can't believe how lucky I am, and how stupid I was to risk giving any of it up!" she responded, still not taking her eyes off Arnold.

The boys walked back over with the food and drinks as Arnold returned the passionate look in Helga's eyes "Umm, here are the snacks." Seeing the new found look of security with their relationship in her eyes, he nervously said, "So, umm you ready to go sit down?"

Not feeling the need to say anything, the girls took their snacks from the boys, and followed them into the stadium. The order of seats they sat put them with Phoebe by Gerald, Gerald by Arnold, and Arnold by Helga.

"These are exquisit seats," Phoebe said to Arnold, as the four of them began to sit.

"Almost as exquisit as these snacks," Gerald said as Helga began to roll her eyes.

She grabbed herself a handful of popcorn, looking down at the game, when she felt something soft on her leg. Arnold began to rub it back and forth, as she continued smiling, not caring about the crowd of people around them. He leaned over to kiss her on the cheek as he said, "This has been the best week of my life." Her head fell back in her seat, as she began to drop her popcorn. She was then awoken from her daze as she heard the crowd screaming: Black Sox! Black! Black Sox!

Arnold looked over at Gerald as he was trying to get into the excitement, without setting down his food, "Bwak Swoks!"

Helga rolled her eyes as she looked at Arnold and said, "talk about ruining the moment!" She picked up her drink, looking unamused at the game, until Arnold put his hand on her shoulder and said to her, "That may be a solution to the problem." She looked where Arnold was pointing to see the announcer showing the 'Kiss Camera.'

Her eyes widened as music began to play, 'And then he kissed me…'

Thinking to herself, _they won't look at Arnold and I,_ she texted Phoebe.

Phoebe looked down at her phone to read

"Maybe I was wrong. I'm growning closer to Arnold, but I don't know if I like the idea of the whole world seeing us on the Kiss Camera!"

She sat there nervously until Phoebe finally responded,

"Guess you'll just have to live with the guilt of not reciprocating your feelings forever then."

Helga nearly dropped her phone, not believe the unsupportive advice she had just read. The tension was now turned to frustration. It was as though she was being challenged to see if she was capable of showing the world how brave she truly was.

She then sat there, not thinking about the camera as Arnold put his arm around her. He had no idea what was going through her mind. All he knew was, he had the most beautiful, poetic, intelligent woman sitting beside him.

As the end of the song was nearing, Arnold pointed up and showed Helga the camera was finally looking at the two of them. He smiled at her, as she looked at him thinking _What would be so terrible about the world knowing I'm with the most wonderful guy in it?!_

As she began to smile at him, he leaned in to kiss her. She then pulled him to her, and gave him a long passionate kiss. He kept his arm around her shoulder as she laced her fingers onto his other hand. The two sat their happily, through the end of the song, forgetting about who was watching them.

Phoebe smiled at the camera, thinking to herself, _I knew the reverse psychology chapter of my_ _psychology class would come in handy_. While Gerald sat there with a half eaten hot dog, thinking to himself, _Mm, mm, mm… I knew I should have gotten us spread out seats._

When the song ended, and the camera was taken off them, they hadn't yet released their lips. Helga's mind was locked so far into the idea of being this close to Arnold, she had forgotten where she was, and who was watching them. Arnold didn't want the moment to end, until finally he felt his shoulder being nudged…

"You two do realize the song is over right?" Gerald asked as Arnold rolled his eyes, looking back over at Helga. For the sake of Gerald keeping his food down, they refrained from kissing again. Instead, they sat there with Arnold's arm around her back, Helga's head resting on his shoulder, and their fingers laced, until the game was finished.

During the last inning, one of the hitters had some trouble hitting the balls without hitting any players along with them.

"Remind you of anything football head?" Helga said, as she glanced up at him.

Arnold knew she was referring to the incident in fourth grade when he couldn't stop hurting their classmates every time they played baseball together. He sighed and said, "Yeah, it sounds familiar."

She smiled, still watching the game as she asked, "What was your problem anyway? Did your grandpa say you had to visit your lame-o cousin, and you decided to take your anger out on the class?"

Arnold rolled his eyes at her as he responded, "Both my grandpa and Mickey Kaline said I have dangerous lumber."

"Dangerous who now?" she said, raising part of her eyebrow.

"It's when you can't hit the ball without hitting another person." he explained as Helga rolled her eyes and snarked, "Pttss… well that's obvious! So what did you do about it?"

"When I was sitting at 'Mickey's Dog Pound,' a hot dog place he opened up after retiring from the game, Mickey told me a story about a friend of his it happened to." Arnold began to explain.

"Probably related to Eugene." Helga butted in.

"Uh yeah… anyway, he said the guy got over it just by stepping up to the plate, facing his fears, and batting again." he finished.

"So what you're saying is, you cured yourself by continuing to risk seeing the number of people it would take for you to hurt, before you finally got over your problem?" she said, trying to make him realize the stupidity in the situation.

"Uhh.. I guess that's basically what happened." he admitted.

She shook her head as he smiled down, wanting to kiss her. His thoughts were interrupted when he heard, "Ladies and gentlemen, The Black Sox have won the game! 10 to 9!"

The crowd cheered as everyone began to stand up. The four of them began walking out of the stadium as Gerald said, "If you don't mind waiting a moment, I have to run to the restroom."

Arnold let go of Helga's hand regrettably as he said, "I think I'll go too before we head to the car."

As Arnold followed Gerald into the restroom, Phoebe walked over to Helga. "That was quite a show you two put on for the crowd," Phoebe said, winking at Helga.

"Yeah, yeah… thanks for the help." Helga said with a weak smile.

"Well, I could see my sensitive advice wasn't doing anything for you. I had to be more aggressive." she said proudly, looking up at her lovesick friend.

"You? Aggressive? Oh please!" Helga smirked.

"I learn from the best." Phoebe winked again as they saw the two boys exiting the restroom.

The boys came, Gerald looking as though he was going to pass out from all the edible excitement they had experienced that day. "Man, I think it's time we head out!" he insisted.

"You don't need anymore presidential fitness training?" Helga said wittingly.

Not caring about her remark, Gerald held his stomach and headed towards the car. Phoebe put her hand on his shoulder, walking him slowly there, as she said, "Don't worry. You just need another antacid and a good nights rest. However, Helga does have a bit of a point about you needing to ease up on the junk food."

Gerald looked down at the ground filled with guilt as he said, "I know! I'm just nervous. I'm going up against Matt!"

Phoebe gave him a questioning look as she responded, "Matt? The boy in Helga's poetry class, that Arnold's so worried about? Why didn't you say anything?"

"I didn't think it was a big deal. Besides, as annoying as Helga can be, she does have a point. It takes two to tango. Even if Matt does try to go after her, that doesn't mean she'll leave Arnold for him." Gerald said defensively.

"I guess you're right. What's so great about him that's making you lose your confidence about the election?" she wondered.

"He's captain of the football team! You know all kids care about is sports." Gerald said nervously.

"Class president is about so much more than that! Being in charge of group activities, socializing, community events…" Phoebe continued on until she was interrupted.

"I say it again. It's a popularity contest, and to kids, that just screams sports!" he said doubtfully.

As they made it to the car, Arnold and Helga approached them, seeing Gerald hunched against it with one hand on his stomach, and the other hand holding him up against the car. As Phoebe continued to massage his back, Arnold unlocked the car and said, "We better get you home Gerald."

They all took their usual seats in the car, as Arnold watched how busy the parking lot was. "It could take us a minute to get out of here."

Helga sat there thinking about how wonderful the game had been. How the message was finally sent, not just to Arnold, but to her, how much they meant to each other.

"I think I found an opening." Arnold said, looking at the street, while Helga looked at him with passion in her eyes, and thought to herself _There will always be one in my heart for you._

As he pulled out onto the street, they hit a bump in the road. Gerald felt a notch in his stomach as he asked, "please don't do that!"

Helga rolled her eyes, knowing she'd have to deal with this until they made it out of the car. "So who's the crazy candidate you're going up against Geraldo?"

Gerald's eyes widened, forgetting for a spilt second about his stomach. "Uhhh… "

"Does your stomach hurt so bad it affected your memory?" she snarled.

"It's Matt." he said hesitantly.

Helga's eyes widened, as Arnold began to slow the car down. "You mean the Matt that won't leave Helga alone?" Arnold asked.

"Yeah, that's the one." Gerald sighed in pain.

"Which class are the two of you taking together?" Phoebe asked.

"English. He's not that smart; proving my point about this being a popularity contest." Gerald responded.

"Well doi! Any social contest is about popularity! People don't pick you because they believe in you! Sheesh!" Helga insisted, filling Gerald with worry.

"Does that mean relationships are just a popularity contest. That the person you're with picks you because they think you're cool rather than believing in anything you do?" Arnold asked, hoping she'd see he had cornered her.

She began to blush when she couldn't think of a response. An awkward silence occurerd until finally she said, "Oh zip it football head!"

He took her hand, and began to rub it as he said, "But I'm not saying anything?"

They finally pulled up at Gerald's house, as he could barely get the energy to sit up. "I'll help you to the front door again Gerald." Phoebe offered, with him happily accepting the help.

Arnold and Helga sat their watching as Helga said, "Can you believe anyone would care so much about a class election?!"

"It's almost like he cares what other people think of him." Arnold said, smiling at her.

"Exactly!" she said, not catching his point.

When the two of them saw Phoebe had decided to walk Gerald inside, Arnold moved closer to Helga.

"I mean, it's as if he cares more about the class' opinion of him, than his own." Arnold continued to explain as Helga turned to look at him with glaring eyes.

"Alright Bucko, I get your point! His short term cool guy reputation was nothing compared to my life long bad girl reputation however." she said, hoping to win the argument.

Arnold rolled his eyes at the remark as he turned her face toward his. "Let's see what that bad girl attitude of yours can do when we get home tonight"

Her eyes widened as she shivered and said, "Uhhh we'll have to stop by my place first. I can't just keep wearing the same outfits and calling home at the last minute every night. Olga maybe a dumb puppy, but eventually they'll wonder what's going on."

"You're right, I don't know what I was thinking." he said, as Phoebe came back outside, heading towards the car.

Arnold scooted away from Helga, Phoebe opened the door to the back seat. "I gave Gerald a healthy snack to settle his stomach. Hopefully, this will teach him an important lesson, and set him straight about the election."

"That if class president was about eating, Harold would be the opposing candidate?" Helga said wittingly.

The car grew silent as Phoebe noticed Arnold glancing at Helga every so often. She was overwhelmed with joy to know after all these years, her best friend had finally won the love of the boy she had forever admired.

"Well, we're here! Guess we'll see you at school tomorrow Phoebe." Arnold said, waving good bye to her.

"If you talk to Geraldo before then, don't let him forget he's buying lunch this week!" Helga reminded her.

"Good night. I had a wonderful time at the game." Phoebe said, as she waved goodbye.

After watching her walk inside, Arnold began to pull out of the driveway and said to Helga, "Let's go get your things!"

"Yeah, I should be able to run in there and put together a quick overnight bag," Helga said, not sounding worried.

Arnold continued driving, thinking quietly to himself _I love her too much to let her continue living in such a miserable environment._

They pulled up at Helga's house, parking at the curb in front of it. Helga unbuckled quickly and said to him, "Don't worry this shouldn't take long. That is, if I can make it past Olga!"

Noticing Arnold turning off the car, she paused opening the door and said, "I don't need your help; you can wait out here."

"I'm going in with you!" he insisted, looking at the concerned look on her face.

"Why? I know my way back out. I'm just grabbing a suitcase!" she exclaimed.

Taking her hand, he looked into her eyes and said, "Helga, I spoke with my parents, and told them about the trouble you have at him."

"Yeah, I know. Thanks for being such a blabbermouth." she said, hoping that would be the end of the conversation.

"I don't think you should be living here. It's not right, the way they neglect you! If your mom can't stay awake to spend time with you even one day of the week, why would she care if you lived with me? Your dad can't seem to get your name right; now he's got the real Olga home to distract him. Let me take care of you; be the family you never had but have always deserved!" he pleaded as her eyes began to water.

"Miriam may not notice, but Bob won't go for it." Helga said, hoping to make him drop it.

Arnold smiled, putting his other hand against her face and said, "Let's go in and see."

The two of them got out of the car as they slowly walked up the stairs of the porch. Helga's hand shook as she reached for the door knob. While reaching for it, Arnold rested his hand on her shoulder, and whispered in her ear, "I'll be right beside you the entire time."

With that, she took a deep breath and turned the knob. As they walked inside, all appeared quiet at first. "Mom! Dad!...Olga?" When no one responded, she shrugged her shoulders and invited Arnold upstairs to help her pack her things.

Arnold looked at all the pictures of Helga with her family on the wall. How proud her parents looked to be standing beside Olga, and how unhappy Helga looked standing off to the side. A frown formed on his face as he watched Helga march up the stairs, thinking to himself _She definitely deserves better than this!_

They made it down the hall to Helga's room, Helga prepared to hear a screeching "Baby Sister!" When they opened her door, she grabbed some suitcases and said, "Alright, let's make this quick! Sense no one's here, I guess I'll leave a note on the counter for them on the way out. Hopefully, Miriam won't pass out on it."

As Helga began packing her clothes, books, and other meaningful items, Arnold took one last look at her closet. He went in there, examining all the pictures and figures of himself she had put together. The piles of poetry books she had written about him. The locket she held so dear to her heart all those years, even before they were together.

"I think that's everything. Everything worth grabbing that is. Come on, let's get g…" she turned around to see Arnold standing in her closet, holding her locket, and a box with all her poetry books. "Wouldn't want to forget these, would we?" he said, smiling at her.

Her eyes began to water as she said, "We don't have to worry about those. I don't think your parents want me bringing too much junk."

"It's not junk to me!" he said, as he leaned over to kiss her passionately, while they both stood there holding her items.

As they both straightened up, she began to blush seeing him hold those items. Finally her collection was complete. "We should get going." Helga insisted, breaking off the silence, as Arnold followed her, still smiling.

When they made it downstairs, Helga sat her things down by the counter. "I'm just going to write a quick note, explaining I'm with you. When they start to get suspicious, I'll come back and talk to them."

Arnold sighed, realizing that was all she could really do at the moment. No one else was home, and he didn't want her spending another night here.

"All right. I'm setting it right next to the most important necessity in the house; Miriam's blender. Well that, and Bob's Big White Belt."

After setting the note down, the two of them grabbed her things and headed for the door. As she reached for the door knob, the two of them stepped back when they noticed it beginning to turn.

"Looks like you'll be having a great time teaching there sweetie!" Miriam said as she, Bob, and Olga entered the house.

"Yeah, you'll do great!" Bob added on.

When the three of them noticed Arnold and Helga standing in front of them, Olga screamed, "Baby sister! You're back from your sleep over! I wanted so badly for you to see everything they would be starting me with at P.S. 118! What night are you free this week?!"

Before Helga could respond, Bob butted in. "Yeah, I need you to help set up the displays for the new cell phones and laptops at the store!"

Helga rolled her eyes at his dis-concern for her safety. However, it was no surprise to her that his only concern for her presence meant more success for his company.

"Listen, I've got something to say…"

"What is it baby sister?!" Olga asked anxiously.

"Yeah, make it snappy! The wheel's about to come on." Bob insisted.

"I..I.." Helga began as Arnold butted in.

"She's coming to live with me!" he said, without thinking twice about their reactions.

Helga turned to whisper to him, "What are you doing, football head?"

Arnold jerked away from her as he confronted the puzzled looks on her family's faces. "Listen, I don't think Helga is treated with the respect she deserves here. Therefore, I'm letting her live with me."

"What are you talking about kid?!" Bob exclaimed

Helga's face began to blush as she listened to Arnold say, "I'm talking about the fact that you give all your positive attention to your oldest daughter, and barely act as though your youngest one exists. You can't even remember her name!"

"What are you talking about, it's Olga!" Bob exclaimed as Helga rolled her eyes in anger. She pointed to her older sister and said, "No! SHE is Olga! I'M HELGA, Dad! HELGA!"

"Right, Right, that's what I said! Sheesh!" Bob snapped.

"You can't leave baby sister! I came back to be with my family! To be closer to you!" Olga exclaimed with tears streaming down her face.

"Are you gonna help me out or what, Miriam?!" Bob insisted.

"I just..I..Uh..Whatever. I need a smoothie." She said, walking past the kids, towards the kitchen. Helga dropped her head, as Arnold patted her back.

"Let's just get out of here Arnold." Helga said, walking toward the door sad but not surprised.

The two of them left as Bob stood standing after the door slammed shut. "She'll be back. She doesn't have a job, or a car, and those two aren't going to last! Now I gotta figure out who can help me get the new store set up?" he exclaimed.

As Arnold and Helga hopped in the car, Arnold looked at her sad face. He put a hand on her as she said, "Well, that went better than expected."

"What are you talking about?" Arnold asked, expecting her to be devastated by her family's reaction.

"I expected Olga to be a cry-baby. It's no shocker to me that Miriam headed for the kitchen, or even that Bob couldn't get my name right. I'm just surprised he acted like he CARED I was leaving. You saw the way Miriam walked right past me, without thinking twice about it." she explained to him, trying to hide her solicit feelings.

The two of them rode home in silence, knowing Helga must be thinking about the little care her family had always shown for her. When they were a block away from the boarding house, Arnold looked over at Helga and said, "I hope I haven't forced you into anything."

She turned to give him a confused look as she responded, "What are you talking about?"

"Helga, I know we're not married, so I shouldn't be making dramatic decisions like that for you. Maybe I stepped out of line tonight. I just hated seeing the way you were letting your family push you around all these past years." he sighed.

"Arnold, what was I supposed to do? Say, 'Hey, this is my house! You people are doing things my way from now on!' I begged for their attention until it got to the point where I knew it was just pointless. They were always going to see me as second to Olga. Always have, always will. Why spend the rest of my life making things worse by letting them know they bother me?" She sighed as she rested her head on her arm against the window.

"It just makes you seem so weak… giving into their demands...and you're not a weak person." He said, frowning at her.

"That's why you gotta act tough. Don't let people know that they bother you." she said, thinking about all the demands she had given into over the years.

"Even if you're being held tight in public, with your loved one's tongue down your throat." he said, while rubbing her leg.

While feeling her skin crawl, she was still able to manage rolling her eyes at him and say, "I'm getting a little sick of the way you've been trying to use my own beliefs against me today!"

He smiled as he let go of her leg to park the car by the curb. "Well, let's grab your things." he said, opening the back seat for her.

As they began to grab her things, she looked nervously at the box of poems she had written. When he noticed her reaction, he said, "Don't worry, I won't let anyone see them."

They walked up the stairs, past the usual stream of pets, to find it dead silent. As they walked past the kitchen, Arnold said, "Weird. Usually, grandpa is up eating a sandwich right now? We can put your things in my room tonight."

As they made it up the hallway, Arnold pointed to an empty room right outside his. "That will probably be your room. No one's rented it for a long time."

Helga looked at it, wondering how many nights she would just end up sleeping with Arnold.

They then entered his bedroom to see a note had been left on the bed. "Hey Arnold! Sorry, we decided to go to bed early. We saved you some pizza in the fridge. Love mom and dad."

After reading the note, Arnold looked over at Helga and said, "Guess grandpa just couldn't let the pizza thing go! You want to go grab a slice"

As he noticed her looking down at the floor with watery eyes, he asked, "Are you okay? What's wrong?"

Trying to hide her emotions, she said, "Nothing football head. Let's go grab some of that pizza!"

As she began walking towards the door, he grabbed her arm to sit her down on the bed. When seeing how she still couldn't look at him, he turned her face towards him and asked, "What's going on?"

"I was just thinking about how your parents left you a note letting you know they went to sleep, but mine didn't even leave a not saying they left the house. Your's remembered to save you some dinner, but mine always forget to make enough dinner for me." That's all, she said shrugging her shoulders as though it was no big deal.

Arnold dropped the note on the floor and began kissing Helga passionately. She began to pull away, trying to say to him, "I don't...I don't need ...your...your pity!"

Arnold let go of her as he said, "What are you talking about?"

She looked down at the floor ashamed, as she continued to say, "I don't want you feeding me, taking me in, and acting all sympathetic towards me just because you've always known how terrible my home life is."

Arnold put his arm around her as he said, "It wouldn't matter if you had Rhonda's home life. I'd do all those nice things for you, because I'm your boyfriend and I care about you. I don't just care about you, I love you! I'm not going to let my girlfriend suffer when I know there's something I can do to help. If you want to be with me, that's just something you're going to have to learn to get used to… accepting my help."

"Oh crimedy! First I gotta get used to letting everyone see you're my prince charming. Now I gotta get used to letting you be my knight and shining armor?!" she snarked.

"Pretty much." Arnold said, as he scooted closer to her.

She fell back on the bed and closed her eyes; her head was spinning with thoughts. She then felt soft lips pressed against hers, as arms were wrapped around her waist, pulling her in closely.

At that moment, she thought to herself _He's all the family I could ever ask for!_

He wrapped his tongue around hers as she began to moan with pleasure. When they broke it off for some air, Arnold sat her up to take off her sweater. As he pulled it off her, the flower fell from her hair. He picked it up, looking into her eyes and said "How could anyone not love something so beautiful?"

Putting it back in her hair, he pinned her against the back of his bed and began to take off her bra. Sitting there with him rubbing her breasts, and his tongue down her throat, she thought to herself, _Gaining his love was more than worth losing my family_

He felt her start to breath heavy; then decided to step back a moment to take off his shirt. She watched him undress, thinking to herself _No shrine I've made could ever compare to this._

After taking off his shirt, he dragged her further down onto the bed, to where she was actually laying. She rested her hands on his soft, smooth shoulders as he began to take off her pants. Feeling her beginning to tremble, he slowly ran his hands up her body, to her hair, laying down on top of her. Looking into her sensitive eyes, he placed her hand on his heart and said, "Maybe I _was_ being selfish by taking you away, but you complete me."

Her heart fluttered as she let out a deep lovesick sigh. He bent down to kiss her as he held her hand in his. The two of them were on cloud nine, as he began to massage her breasts, not taking his lips off hers. She began to breathe heavily as he rubbed her nipples. Trying to release her lips to exhale, he pulled her in tighter. His hands moved to behind her head, not wanting her lips to escape his. His thoughts went back to the game earlier that day, and what a perfect moment they had shared on the Kiss Camera. They were experiencing in public the special feeling he felt with her, she would only show him when no one else was around.

When he finally needed a breath, he sat up to take off his pants. Helga laid there amazed at everything that had happened that week. She had gone from living with her family in a secret relationship with Arnold, to moving into Arnold's home, where they now shared an open-relationship with the world. It was all happening so fast.

After he took off his pants, he said with a disconcerting look, "I don't have anymore condoms."

She smiled at him as she sat up and said, "I think I have a better idea. Close your eyes."

Arnold sat up straight there with his eyes closed, wondering what she was about to do. Suddenly, he felt his arms being pulled behind his back.

He opened them to see she had tied him up with her ribbon and listened to her say, "I never did get my turn!"

Trying not to smile, he said to her, "To be fair, I've been the victim of you since pre-school. You've had a more than long enough turn!"

"Shut up, football head!" she exclaimed as she bent down to kiss him, sitting on top of him with her legs spread across his stomach, both still in their underwear.

While Arnold laid there feeling vulnerable, it was not a new feeling being brought upon him. All his life, he had taken demands from Helga, yet he was loving this passionate side of her.

She rubbed her hands up and down his sides as she wrapped her tongue around his. When she felt him begin to tense up, she slowly reached down into his underwear. His body began to tingle as she wrapped her hand around his member. She massaged it profusely, looking into his eyes, thinking to herself _There's no place else I'd rather be!_

"Bet your regretting that ribbon idea now, aren't you football head!" she smirked.

As Arnold tried to sit up, Helga began to rub him faster. "Helga.. I'm about to…"

She stopped to lean back over and kiss him tightly, not caring how out of breath he was. As her face was pressed against his, she could feel the exhaustion through his deep breathing, but couldn't allow herself to release his lips.

He laid there wishing she would stop, but at the same time, didn't want it to end. She began rubbing their parts together, as sweat began to fall from his face. Finally, he climaxed.

Helga opened her eyes with her lips still on his, slowly beginning to grin. At last she sat up, looked down and said, "looks like somebody wet their pants."

Arnold rolled his eyes at her, panting from exhaustion, as he said, "It was worth it! Now, will you please untie me, so I can change them?"

Helga smiled, as she bent down to kiss him passionately once more. "Okay, I think we're even now."

She reached behind Arnold's back to untie the ribbon. The moment his hands were free, he used them to grab hold of her. As he tried rolling over her, he flipped them off the bed, rolling them both across the floor in each other's arms. Despite the unplanned position, they kept their lips as close together as their arms were around one another. Helga ran her fingers through what was now Arnold's sweaty hair. As she took her lips off his to say, "Gross foo…" he grabbed her arm to pin her down, and sucked her tongue as tight as possible.

She could feel the wet spot that had formed on his underwear, and tried moving her head to ask if he wanted to change, "Doh.. u...wa...o..tan?"

Not caring about what she had to say, he began to rub himself against her as hard as possible. Her eyes widened as he plunged his tongue deeper down her throat, the harder he rubbed against her. When he at last released her lips for some air, he continued pinning her down, rubbing her harder until finally, he climaxed even harder.

His face turned even redder as he looked down at Helga, listening to her say, "NOW do you want to change your underwear? Mine's not exactly dry now either….with you rubbing your gross self against it!" she smirked.

He kissed her once more before letting her go. When he looked up, she was smiling at him, thinking about how lucky she was to have him; never wanting the magic that existed between them to end. He helped her to her feet, as she said, "If you don't mind, I'm just going to sleep like this tonight… it's uhh...kind of hot in here?"

He smiled at her, knowing what she must be thinking. "I know what you mean. I'm going to change my underwear, then sleep the same way." he said anxiously.

She walked over to the bed to crawl under the covers. As she laid there peacefully, she eventually felt the covers being pulled back. She opened her eyes to see Arnold holding a book in his hand. "What are you doing with that?" she asked nervously.

"As exhausting as our little 'workout' was, I'm not quite ready to fall asleep. I thought I'd read one of your poetry books. If you're okay with it?" he asked, suddenly realizing he may have violated her privacy.

She just sighed as she looked up at him, thinking to herself, _I've had sex with him, I've made romantic gestures with him in public, I admitted to him I consider us to be in a relationship… why should I care about that?_

"Go ahead, I guess." she shut her eyes as he used his bedroom remote to turn off the ceiling light. As she laid by the alarm clock, readying them for school in the morning, he laid by the lamp, reading her first book.

 _Arnold my love, the heart of my desire_

 _Will you never know, the true feelings I acquire?_

 _Everyday I watch as your eyes go astray._

 _Never to move in the direction of my way._

 _Will I ever find the strength to tell you how I feel?_

 _The day my anger fades, and love at last is revealed._

Arnold looked over to see she had fallen fast asleep. He put the book down and turned out the lamp. As he snuggled up next to her, he wrapped his arm around her while softly whispering in her ear, "My eyes will always be on you."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Will You Catch Me When I Fall?

The next morning they were awaken by what was a familiar noise to Arnold… "Hey Arnold! Hey Arnold! Hey Arnold!"

He leaned over Helga to shut off the alarm, while she didn't seem to be affected by it. Looking at her still sleeping peacefully, he gently began to shake her shoulder. "Helga...Helga...It's time to get up for school!"

Not wanting to get up for school, she tried pulling the covers over her head. Before being able to slide completely underneath them, Arnold grabbed them. He reached underneath to turn her towards him, giving her a soft kiss on the lips. With his lips pressed against hers, she slowly began to open her eyes, as though she was saying good morning to him.

He laid his cold hands on her breasts; sending a chill throughout her body. As he began to caress her nipples, she raised her leg up over his, sliding on top on him. The two began rubbing their parts together hard as he continued rubbing her nipples. She slid her arms under his back to pull him in tighter, until at last, he released her lips. "We have to get up now. I can't let you be late for school."

Sighing at him, she responded, "Fine, football head!"

She rolled off of him, giving him a chance to kick off the covers and step out of the bed. As she watched him anxiously move toward his dresser, Helga sat there a moment, thinking to herself, _How long before everyone finds out we are living together?_

Arnold looked over at her, seeing she seemed to be in deep thought about something. "Helga, are you going to get up?"

Snapping her out of it, she finally stood up out of the bed, not thinking about how cold she was practically naked. As Helga went through her suitcases, Arnold was practically dressed. He looked over at her beautiful body. The way her blonde hair draped over her face. Incredible curves lasting all throughout the five and a half tall figure beside him. Skin as smooth and delicate as her soft, loving lips. When she noticed him frozen standing there, she turned around to say, "What happened to 'I can't let you be late for school'?"

After realizing the fantasy land he was in, Arnold shook his head and said, "Sorry Helga. I'll meet you downstair for some breakfast. When he left the room, she thought about how important today would be. At the game the previous day, she proved she had no problem with revealing her feelings for him to the world. This meant walking through school holding hands, kissing in the cafeteria, giving hugs before classes, sitting on the bus together, was all now expected of her without thinking twice. Not only that, she was meant to enjoy it. The school's opinion of her reputation was no longer meant to be her number one priority. Rather, her own opinion of her relationship with Arnold. How much did he mean to her? If it was true nothing else in the world came close to comparing to the importance of his love for her, today was her day to prove it.

As she was pondering this, Arnold was sitting in the kitchen with his grandparents.

"Hey shortman! How was the ball game?" Phil asked.

"The Black Sox won, so that was pretty cool. Gerald may have eaten a little more than he should have though." Arnold pointed out.

"Oh, nothing wrong with that! A growing boy needs food." Phil insisted.

"Uhh right grandpa." Arnold said, pretending to agree as Helga entered the room. She approached the table wearing a light blue silk tank top, with a midnight blue skirt, thin sweater to match it, and wore black heels. Rather than spending as much time on her hair as she did her outfit, she decided to wear it down.

"Eleanor! We've been expecting you! What a lovely ensemble!" Pookey said, as she passed out the waffles.

Arnold examined her with an open jaw, having a hard time coming up with the right words. "Wow! Helga! I - I - mean… you look nice." he said, rubbing the back of his neck.

She blushed after hearing this, hoping the kids at school wouldn't have the same stunning reaction. While she wanted Arnold to be happy, the last thing she wanted was any unnecessary attention drawn to them.

"Thanks Arnold. Hopefully, I didn't take too much time getting ready. That way, we can still catch the bus." she said, hoping school would suddenly become the new subject.

"You two better stop skipping breakfast! I don't want to be left alone with your grandma and her crazy cow poke routine!" Phil demanded.

Arnold rolled his eyes in embarrassment, knowing this wasn't the type of morning Helga was used to waking up to. "Where are my parents grandpa?"

Phil responded quickly before Pooky could come up with another crazy excuse about their whereabouts. "Eduardo is back in town, and invited them to spend the day with him, as a special thank you for helping out the green eyes people."

Helga put her fork down and interrupted to say, "Seems like if anyone deserves a thank you for that, it should be Arnoldo here." as she nudged his shoulder.

As she began eating again, he leaned close to whisper in her ear, "Or you and your locket."

Nearly dropping her fork, trying not to give away an obvious heartfelt look of love in her eyes, the moment was directed toward Phil as he said, "Or me, for giving you that journal to begin with!"

The two of them shook their heads as Arnold took both their plates to the sink. "We better get going Helga. Like you said, we don't want to miss the bus."

"Bye everyone! See you later!" Arnold said, waving goodbye.

"By Shortman! Shortman's Girlfriend!" Phil said still sitting at the table, annoying Arnold.

"Thank you for breakfast!" Helga looked back, trying not to blush.

"Have fun at the White House Eleanor!" Pooky called out from the sink, as Phil rolled his eyes.

As the two of them grabbed their bags that were now ready and waiting by the front door, Arnold stopped to take one last look at Helga. "You really do look nice."

She looked away, not knowing what to say. Normally she'd throw an insult his way, but that's not what the sensitive type would do. "Umm...thanks. Let's get going."

Arnold opened the door as the stream of pets poured past them. Helga rolled her eyes in disbelief, knowing she would have to get used to seeing that every time she opened the door.

Once the animals were past them, he saw her struggling to get down the steps, and asked "Are you okay?"

"Fine. I'm just not used to walking in heels." she sighed.

"Do you need to go back in and find something else to wear?" he asked worriedly.

"I've got to learn to wear them at some point." she said as she shrugged her shoulders.

Arnold gave her a puzzled look as he asked, "What for?"

She stopped for a moment to catch her balance. Then gave him a frustrated look to say, "Am I not supposed to be working on showing my feminine side?"

He gave her a guilty look, wondering if he had pushed things too far. The last thing he wanted was for her to be miserable. "You stay here a moment. I'm going to run back inside and get you some more comfortable shoes."

"Arnold, do you want me to be sensitive or not?! We can't keep going back and forth with this!" she exclaimed.

Arnold grabbed her hand, not thinking about the bus anymore. He looked into her eyes and said, "I don't care how you dress, Helga. I just don't want you to let OTHER PEOPLE force you to act a certain way. You have a loving heart, but you're afraid to show it, because other people will make fun of you. I know you don't enjoy ALL feminine qualities, and this is obviously one of them. I'm sorry for pressuring you into doing it. I just want you to realize you don't have to spend your life making decisions based on other people's opinions of you. I'm sorry again if I twisted it up a bit by making you believe that meant you had to show your feminine side physically just as much as you do emotionally."

She looked away, trying not to cry as Arnold added on. "I'll be right back with your other shoes."

Before he could make it up the stairs, she grabbed his arm to say, "I understand what you're saying. I know I've made things difficult, and I'm sorry for that. Thank you for caring so much about me. I can wear these today."

He wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight. She rested her head on his shoulders, thinking about how much she meant to him. No one had ever tried so hard to make her that happy with herself, as well as comfortable around other people.

When they let go of each other, he took her hand and walked her slowly to the bus stop.

"We should speed up if we don't want to miss it." Helga suggested anxiously.

Arnold smiled at her as he said, "The last thing I want is you tripping in those heels."

They then risked losing another second of catching the bus, as she stopped to take her shoes off and carry them the rest of the way. After doing so, they held hands, racing to make it to the bus stop. Panting at their arrival, they made it there the moment the last few kids were boarding.

The two of them smiled at their arrival as they were the last two to board the bus. Helga stepped on bare footed with Arnold, not having time to put on her shoes, until they took a seat. When they entered the bus, everyone turned to look at how dressed up Helga was. She heard the whispering as she took a seat with Arnold, pretending not to let it bother her. He put his arm around her, while she slipped her shoes back onto her feet.

Once she laid her head on his shoulder, she began to rub his arm that was wrapped around her up and down. She could have fallen asleep right then and there, if it hadn't been for the whispering she heard…

"I don't think I've EVER seen her like that before!"

"Since when does SHE dress up?"

"Is there a school dance coming up that I didn't hear about?"

Not wanting to make a big deal in front of Arnold, Helga let out a light sigh, thinking to herself _This is going to be a long day!_

Hearing her sigh, Arnold bent down to whisper in her ear, "I love you. Please don't leave me."

She smiled at the thought of how much she meant to him, and then decided to put her arm around his lap. Not caring how many kids were watching them, all she wanted was to be near him.

At the back of the bus, Phoebe and Gerald were taking notice of how comfortable the two were becoming with each other in front of the school kids. "I'm quite impressed with Helga. I'm sure Arnold must be exceedingly overjoyed." Phoebe said, smiling at the sight of her best friend.

"I guess. Right now my stomach's too delicate to handle anything too exciting." Gerald pointed out.

"When are you and Matt giving your electoral speeches?" Phoebe asked

"This Friday. Until then, I have to spend the week making flyers, posters, and finding ways to motivate people to vote for me. I should have started last week, but I was too nervous." Gerald explained.

The bus then pulled up at the school, and Arnold put a hand on Helga's face to wake her up. She opened her eyes to hear him say, "We're at school now."

As she straightened up, she watched all of their friends who passed by, glancing over at her. As usual, she waited until they were the last two standing, to get off the bus. Hoping not to draw too much attention to them. She held Arnold's hand on the way down the bus, making sure not to lose her balance in her new shoes. As the two walked side by side to the new door, she noticed she was no longer the center of attention. When approaching the long staircase to the school doorway, Arnold took her hand to guide her to the top. Sure she had gotten the hang of how heels worked, she let go of him when she reached the top. As she reached for the final step, she lost her balance, and fell into Arnold's arms. Luckily, he had gotten the hang of how tennis shoes worked, and was able to catch her without losing his balance. She laid there in his arms, looking up at him. He knew she wanted him to set her down, but couldn't allow himself to let go. As he bent down to kiss her, his lips were nearly pressed against hers, when they suddenly heard…

"Well, well, what have we here!"

Arnold then sat Helga up as the two of them looked over to see Rhonda looking at them about to express their feelings for one another.

"Oh… um… I was just helping her up the stairs." Arnold said, trying not to embarrass Helga, as he watched her blush.

"Helga G. Pataki! I never thought I'd see the day!" Rhonda exclaimed.

Helga smirked as she asked, "What day is that, Princess?"

"You looking all dolled up, like you actually care about your woredrobe! First a boyfriend and now this!" Rhonda responded excitedly, knowing it was none of her business.

"What's your point?" Helga asked irritably.

"I just knew I would have an influence on you one day!" she said proudly.

Helga and Arnold rolled their eyes as they watched Rhonda walk away, not surprised at her for finding a way to take credit of their situation.

Arnold looked over at Helga, seeing the annoyed look on her face and said, "Don't let her get to you."

She held his hand as the two walked inside to their lockers. Helga grabbed her poetry books, then turned and said to Arnold. "I guess I'll see you at lunch, football head."

"Yeah, see you then." he said, rubbing the back of his neck. As Arnold watched her walk away, he worried maybe he was just turning her into the next Rhonda. All he wanted was for her to not be afraid to express her true feelings. It was becoming clear to him however, walking around looking like this was not in her best interest.

When Helga made it to poetry class, Matt walked over to her. He took a look at her new outfit and said, "Hey hot stuff!"

Helga rolled her eyes at his pathetic attempt to win her over, as she turned her head and said, "Hey Matt."

"Would you like to do something with me after school today?" he asked hopefully, putting a hand on hers."

She anxiously pulled it away, as she said, "You do know I have a boyfriend right?"

Before he could answer, the students were told to take their seats. They saw the topic they would be discussing on the board that day was 'unrequited love."

First Helga's mind flashed back to her grade school years. The fear she felt that Arnold may never return her feelings, if she was never able to find the courage to reveal them to him.

Then she thought about what she may be doing to him now. How much he had shown and reassured her these past few years he feelings for her were as deep as the ones she always felt for him. What had she done lately to prove she felt the same way about him however?

Meanwhile, Gerald was in the art room making flyers to hand out for his election…

VOTE FOR

GERALD

CLASS PRESIDENT

"Man these flyers better do something to help me, because I am not looking forward to passing them out!" Gerald said, looking over at Phoebe.

"While the flyers are an important way of grabbing people's attention, what will really win your classmates over, is the speech!" Phoebe informed him.

"You'll write that for me won't you?" Gerald said hopefully, as Phoebe glared at him.

Finally, lunch came, and Arnold rushed to the cafeteria to find Helga. On his way there, he was stopped by Amanda. "Oh Arnold, how are you. You are looking oh so well."

Arnold forced himself to slow down a bit, as he said, "uh thanks."

"I take it you and Helga are through?" she said, causing Arnold to halt.

"What are you talking about?" Arnold asked, as he finally turned around to face her.

"Well, in poetry class, I saw Matt walking over to her desk. Then, I couldn't help but overhear him asking her out later this afternoon." Amanda explained, as she watched Arnold's eyes widened with fear. He then raced for the cafeteria, not caring to continue the conversation with her.

Arnold was panting by the time he made it to the cafeteria. He saw Helga sitting alone, writing another note. As she was doing that, she heard heavy breathing over her shoulder. She then turned around to see Arnold with red cheeks, trying to catch his breath.

"Arnold? What happened?" she asked.

"Helga, I… I… was worried about you." he responded, not sure how to put it.

"What do you mean?" she wondered.

"Amanda told me what happened in poetry class." he said, hoping he wouldn't say anything that might upset her.

"What are you talking about?" she glared at him, wondering who all had been talking about her.

"Amanda said Matt went over to ask you out. I ran away before letting her finish the story." Arnold answered, not thinking about what Helga's response would be.

She rolled her eyes, then stood up to say, "You just don't trust me do you?!"

When he finally caught his breath, he put both his hands on her shoulders to say, "Of course I do! I just don't want him pressuring you into anything!"

Helga sighed as she said, "Arnold, I can't be sensitive AND defensive! That's just not possible. You can either let me act tough and show people they're not allowed to mess with me, or you can ask me to pretend to be defenseless, and simply ignore guys when they mess with me?"

"You don't need to pretend to be anything you don't want to Helga. I went too far encouraging you to dress up. I just knew you had a sensitive side, and didn't want you to let anyone tell you what to do. Obviously, I took advantage of the situation without realizing it. I just know your personality is as passionate as it is dominate, and don't want you to feel forced to show only your aggressive side." he replied with pleading eyes, as she continued to grow tired of it all.

Before she could answer, the bell rang. Arnold's heart began to pound, not wanting the conversation to end this way. It was as if the next few hours they would spend in separate classes, would mean a lifetime apart from one another.

She grabbed her things, looked over at him, and said, "I'll see you after school, Arnold."

He looked at the floor full of shame. Not just for his lack of faith in her, but for the pressure he had been putting on her to change. All he wanted was for her to not be afraid to show the world what a wonderful woman she is. Somehow he managed to turn it into a project about transforming her into a completely new woman.

As he was leaving the cafeteria, he bumped into Gerald.

"Hey man, what's going on." Gerald asked.

"I don't think Helga's too happy with me right now." Arnold said sadly.

"What happened now?" Gerald wondered, knowing it must have something to do with her new act.

"Amanda said she saw Matt bothering Helga in their poetry class. When I raced to the cafeteria to make sure he wasn't bothering her, Helga was upset that I still didn't trust her not to do anything with him." Arnold explained.

"Look buddy, as much as I hate to admit it. She does have a point." Gerald said, shaking his head.

"What are you talking about?" Arnold asked, as he looked up at Gerald, intrigued by his remark.

"Just because he keeps hitting on her, doesn't mean she's going to leave you. If she really loves you, she'll stick with you. It takes two to tango. You're not doing her or yourself any favors by acting like she can't take care of herself. If I think there's one thing we've learned from Helga G. Pataki over the years, it's that she doesn't like letting anyone know she's got a soft side." Gerald finished explaining.

The two of them began to walk in silence, as Arnold took Gerald's advice into consideration. "Well, here's my calculus class. See you later."

"See you buddy!" Gerald waved, as he continued walking down the hall.

Arnold sat in his desk, trying to think of a way he could make it up to Helga. Gerald did have a point. For as long as he knew Helga, she didn't like letting people know when she needed help with anything. She liked the idea of taking care of herself. A relationship wasn't about being alone however?

When the bell finally rang, Arnold headed down the hallway towards the exit. As he neared Helga's locker, he saw Matt walking up to her. "So, you never did answer my question about going out with me?"

As much as he wanted to confront Matt, Arnold knew the best thing for their relationship, would be to stand back and let Helga take care of things herself.

"I told you I have a boyfriend, Matt!" she said furiously, grabbing her books.

Matt smiled, stepping closer to her as he answered, "He doesn't have to find out."

Arnold's heart began to race, as he wondered to himself, "Maybe I SHOULD intervene."

Helga tried to sneak passed him as he grabbed her and pinned her down. "What are you doing? Let me go!" she screamed.

"I will… right after this!" he gave her a long passionate kiss, as she stood their struggling to let loose.

Arnold's face grew red with anger as he clenched his fists with fury. How was he supposed to step back and watch this if Helga wasn't able to defend herself against this? As he stepped up towards her locker, Matt looked out of the corner of his eye.

"Oh hey, is this your boyfriend?" he asked, finally letting her go.

Arnold gave Helga a disappointing look as her eyes filled with tears. He wrapped his arms around her, not caring to respond to Matt, and said to her, "Let's get out of here."

When they made it out the school doors, Arnold's shirt was drenched in her tears. As he caressed her hair, he looked down at her and asked, "Do you want to just walk home?"

Trying to wipe the tears from her eyes, she nodded and began walking with him in silence. Arnold stared at the sidewalk as he listened to her sobs until finally he said, "Helga, I didn't want to intervene."

She looked over at him, wiping her eyes, as she asked, "What are you talking about?"

Arnold took a deep breath, not knowing how badly the conversation was going to go. "I saw him walk up to you, as I was coming down the hall. I wanted to go over when I heard him ask you out, but I remembered you saying you wanted me to trust you. Then, I saw him kiss you. I wanted to go over and punch him, but Gerald reminded me of when you said, just because he loves you, doesn't mean you love him. He reminded me you hate to be rescued; to be given help. Therefore, I didn't know if you'd like the idea of me running over and punching him for you. I'm really sorry Helga!"

Helga's sobs began to soften as she stopped walking. Arnold turned towards her to see if she was ready to go off on him. Instead, she pulled him close to kiss him. As she kissed him, she thought to herself _I'm so lucky to be with someone so forgiving!_

He wrapped his arms around her, continuing to kiss her, unfathomably grateful that by the end of the day, she was still his, and nothing had been able to tear them apart.

When they finished kissing, he wiped the remaining tears from her red cheeks and asked, "Would you like to see a movie tonight?"

She gave him another quick kiss as she said, "Sure, let's go home and change first."

As happy as he felt holding her hand, he couldn't get over the horrible feeling he experienced when he saw Matt taking advantage of her.

"Helga." he began to ask.

"What is it?" she responded, not liking the despair in his voice.

"I have to say, I was really surprised when you didn't punch Matt, or try to fight back in any way. I didn't mean to make you feel THAT defenseless. From now on, be who you want to be. If you want to be like you were in grade school, that's fine. The last thing I want is you getting hurt." Arnold said, looking away as she began to rub his hand.

"I did feel pretty defenseless, dressed like that. There's no reason I can't stand up for my beliefs, while showing a little sensitivity on the side however. Maybe I overreacted in grade school. Now that everyone knows about our feelings for one another, there's no reason for me to let them get to me. Besides, I can always find something embarrassing to mess with them about." she responded as he rolled his eyes at her remark and said, "Whatever you say Helga."

As the two entered the boarding house, the line of pets passed them. They entered the house to hear Phil in the kitchen.

"Hey grandpa! We're home." Arnold said, passing by the kitchen.

"Hey shortman! How was school? Anything interesting happen?" Phil asked, almost as if he knew about Matt.

Helga blushed at the floor as Arnold said, "Uhh no not really. We're going upstairs to change. Then I think we'll see a movie."

"Alright, but you know the rules!" Phil said.

"Don't ask for a ride home if I stay out past midnight, and bring back dinner if I stop anywhere worth eating at." Arnold repeated them, embarrassingly in front of Helga.

As the two headed upstairs, Helga was happy to kick off her heels and change into a more casual outfit. She changed her skirt to a pair of jeans, her blue sweater to a pink t-shirt, and put on her pink and purple tennis shoes.

"So, what movie were you wanting to see Arnoldo?" she asked, happy to be back in her casual dress attire.

"Evil Twin 4 is out. Does that sound good?" he asked.

"No movie is scary enough to beat what just happened to me at school today, but yeah, it sounds good." she said wittingly.

"There's a showing for it in about an hour at the AVON theater. We could go to that one." Arnold suggested.

"Whatever floats your boat." Helga said, feeling like her old self again. She suddenly noticed Arnold smiling at her, as she nervously glanced over and asked, "Is something wrong?"

He came down to sit beside her on the bed, took hold of her and and whispered in her ear, "I'm so sorry about everything."

She gave him a confused look as she pulled back and asked, "Sorry for what?"

"For making you feel so weak. I just didn't want you to be afraid to let anyone other than me see the wonderful passionate side you possess. It's okay to be both sweet and sour." Arnold said jokingly.

Helga rolled her eyes as Arnold pulled her in for a kiss. Pulling her head tightly towards his, he laid down on top of her. She ran her fingers through his hair, as he slipped his hands under her bra. As he released her lips, he began to rub her nipples. The two of them began to rub their parts as hard as they could without taking off their pants. She pulled him close to whisper in his ear, "I'm never weak when I'm with you."

As Arnold bent down to kiss her, squeezing her breasts tight, they heard a knock on the door. Trying not to pant, Arnold lifted his head up to say, "Who is it?"

"Gerald's on the phone, Arnold!" Phil said, having a good idea of what may be going on in there.

"Thanks grandpa! I'm coming." Arnold said, as he quickly got off Helga, watching her lay there disappointed.

He ran downstairs to pick up the phone…

"Hey Gerald."

"Hey Arnold, what's going on?"

"Not much. Helga and I are just getting ready to see a movie."

"Oh, 'cuz I was going to see if the two of you wanted to come over and help with the flyers. Then listen to me give my speech." Gerald said hopefully.

"Uhh… I guess we could save the movie for later. I'm sure she won't mind." Arnold assumed.

"Great! See you in a few." Gerald exclaimed, hanging up the phone.

Arnold laid the phone down regrettably, as he headed back up the stairs. Helga was looking at how messed up her hair had gotten in the mirror. Also trying to fix the wrinkles in her clothes, as she heard Arnold enter the room.

"So, what'd Geraldo want? To order a pizza?" She said sarcastically.

"Actually, they need our help working on the election tonight. You think we could save the movie for another time." Arnold asked, seeing the disappointment in her eyes.

"Well, I never did get a chance to talk to Pheebs today. Let's go." she said, keeping her cool.

Arnold took her hand, smiling at her. When she noticed he couldn't point his fascination elsewhere, she said, "You may want to keep your eyes on the staircase, unless we want a repeat of what happened at school this morning."

He wrapped his arms around her waist as he said, "If it ends the same way, that sounds good to me."

"You mean, with Princess interrupting us?" she scowled.

"That reminds me, I never did get to kiss you on the steps. Let me make up for that." He said, leaning her back, kissing her passionately. She wrapped her hand around his face, as he wrapped his tongue around hers. Both of them wishing the moment would never end.

When they heard steps in the hallways, Arnold realized he had left the door open. As he sat Helga up, she blushed, hoping no one had seen them. "Gerald's probably wondering where we are by now." Arnold said.

Helga wiped her mouth as she said, "Yeah, we should get going. Don't want Pheebs doing all the work."

As they passed the living room, Arnold saw Phil sitting in his rocker, reading. "Grandpa, I don't think we'll be seeing a movie tonight?"

"No good food to bring back?" Phil assumed, that being the reason.

"Actually, Gerald needs our help putting together things for his class president election. I don't know how long that will take." he explained.

"Ohhh class president! Make sure he knows how important sports are to everyone!" Phil said excitedly as Arnold rolled his eyes.

"Uhh right grandpa." he said, pretending Phil's advice was useful.

The two of them headed out. She stood to the side as he opened it, knowing what was about to pour out.

"I guess you're getting used to the swing of things around here," he smiled as he said to her.

"Well it's kind of hard to forget about something like that." she said wittingly.

As the two of them walked side by side to Gerald's house, Helga felt a wall between them. He was right beside her, giving her the space she needed by not holding her hand. She was making a statement about her reputation by dressing however she wanted. Was it necessary to make the same statement about her love life, by letting others pressure her to hide her emotions?

It was then Arnold looked down to see his hand was being held. He looked back up at Helga to see her smiling. As they passed by the park, they saw the Jolly Olly man. Harold and Patty were buying Mr. Fugeys, as Arnold attempted to speed up.

"What's your hurry?" Helga asked.

"I didn't want them to see us holding hands, or give them any reason to make you feel uncomfortable." he responded, hoping she wouldn't take offense to it.

As she continued to hold his hand, they heard, "Arnold and Helga sittin' in a tree"

Arnold looked over to see Harold laughing, ice cream dripping down his shirt. While Patty rolled her eyes at his behavior, taking no interest in his teasing.

"Come on Helga, let's just go." Arnold suggest, as he sighed; knowing their friends would never change.

"Before we do…" Helga pulled him around to kiss him happily in front of Harold and Patty. She stood there firmly pressing her lips against his, making sure to imply she was proud to be seen with him.

Harold nearly dropped his ice cream, as Patty smiled at the two of them. When Helga let go of him, she smiled at Arnold, while turning to Harold and said, "There's the next part to your song, pink boy!"

"Now I'm ready to go, Arnold." Helga said, as she felt him trembling while continuing to hold his hand. She could see him staring out of the corner of her eye. After a few minutes of noticing he hadn't turned his attention elsewhere, she faced him to say, "What's your problem?"

"Nothing, I...uh...just can't believe you did that?" he said nervously.

"Sheesh Arnoldo! I FINALLY publically reciprocate your feelings, then YOU turn out to be the one who can't handle it?" she pointed out.

He began to rub the back of his neck as he said, "I'm sorry, there's just a huge difference between wanting something and finally seeing it happen."

"Are you saying you wish I hadn't done it?" she asked irritably.

"NO! It was the best feeling of my life! It was the closest I've ever felt to you! It was just so amazing, I was worried for a second that it didn't happen...or if it did...you wouldn't be comfortable doing it again." he said, looking away from her.

She turned his face towards his and kissed him as they were only a block away from Gerald's house. She leaned him against the building on the corner of the street. Holding his face softly, she sucked his tongue slowly. After a moment, she slowly let go of his tongue and said, "I have a feeling it will be happening again soon."

An enormous smile formed on his face, as he took her hand and continued leading her to Gerald's house. When they made it to the porch, Arnold walked up to knock on the door. "Wonder how much work Tall Hair Boy left for us to do?" Helga asked, trying to break the silence. Instead of answering, Arnold just looked at her, thinking about how wonderful that kiss made him feel. As he moved closer, implying he wanted another one, the door swung open.

"It's about time you guys made it here! What kept you?" Gerald asked anxiously.

"Oh, um, we were just talking to my grandpa on the way out. You know how he likes to keep conversations going." Arnold said, hoping that would be a good enough excuse for them.

"Mm..mm..mm...well, come on back. Phoebe and I are designing the flyers. As Gerald glanced back, he noticed Arnold wrapping his arm around Helga's shoulder. As happy as he was for his friend, he couldn't get over the pair that had formed.

He opened the door to his room, where they saw papers scattered all over the bed and Phoebe sitting at the computer.

"Hey Pheebs, how's it going?" Helga asked, as Arnold took his hand off of her shoulder.

"Good afternoon Helga. If Arnold would like to help Gerald with the flyers and posters, I could use your help on putting together an acceptable speech for Gerald on Friday."

Helga shrugged her shoulders as she said, "Sure, why not."

"I've written most of it already. I could really just use your help with the editing. We both know how talented you are with that." Phoebe insisted, as Helga rolled her eyes.

"Alright." Helga agreed.

"Fabulous! Here's What we've got."...

 _Good Afternoon… Thank you for considering me to be your next class president._

 _If elected, I will continue to fight for the equality of the student body._

 _One achievement of mine was knowing the history behind all of our fellow classmates._

 _I will do everything to represent your interests and achieve your goals._

 _I care about your interests, and making sure the schools' goals are met._

 _Vote for me… Gerald Johanson_

"Eh… looks fine to me." Helga said, not caring about the outcome of the situation.

Just then, Arnold said to them, "We'll be right back you guys. Gerald and I are going to Copy Stop. We can put more creative touches on the flyers and posters there."

"Sounds delightful." Phoebe said, waving goodbye to them, as Helga sat there unamused.

After the boys left the room, Phoebe turned to look at Helga printing out the speech. "Helga, there's something I fear I must tell you."

"What's that?" She asked curiously.

"Gerald and I saw you and Arnold fighting in the cafeteria today." she began

"So, that's nothing new?" Helga said.

"When we went over to the table you were at, I found this note." Phoebe handed the note over to Helga.

 _I can't continue putting you through what I put myself through when we were kids. I'll never be able to show you the love and affection you deserve. The love I always longed for you to show, that I apparently am unable to show you. Perhaps it wasn't meant to be. I love you, but I don't deserve you. This should be the end._

Helga gulped when she read this, as she listened to Phoebe say, "Were you going to break up with Arnold?!"

"Oh give me a break Phoebe! You know I can't keep my feelings bottled up! I just needed to write down my concerns at the time. I was never going to ACT on them!" Helga snapped.

"Well all right Helga. Just remember honesty is always the best policy." Phoebe handed over the note as Helga smiled at her.

As the two girls continued going over the speech, Arnold and Gerald headed for the Copy Store.

"Well, Gerald… You feeling anymore confident about this?" Arnold said hopefully as the two headed down the street.

Gerald stared at the sidewalk as he responded, "Not really, but Phoebe's got me watching what I eat. That doesn't mean I'll be able to shake off the extra weight I've gained before Friday though."

"Why don't you and I go to the YMAA Gym tomorrow after school? We can do that every day this week!" Arnold excitedly suggested.

Gerald smiled at Arnold's optimism, as he lifted his head, and said, "Sounds good man!"

The two of them continued down the street until they eventually reached the Copy Store. When entering, they noticed they were practically the only two in the store. This allowed them to take advantage of every copier and design machine they needed to put together the most amazing eye catching posters and flyers.

As Gerald put together designs on the posters, he noticed Arnold with a huge grin on his face at the copy machine. "Arnold, is there something hysterical about that copier you're hesitating to tell me about?" Gerald asked suspiciously.

Arnold immediately wiped the grin off his face, when he realized his happy memory of Helga finally willingly returning his feelings was showing through his face. "Huh? Oh, sorry Gerald."

Gerald shook his head as he went back to work on his posters. He wondered if his creativity would even stand a chance against Matt's popularity. As he pondered this, Arnold walked over with the flyers. "I printed an extra stack. You never know how many you may need." Arnold reassured him.

For a moment, Gerald felt a bit of relief. He had thought about the support of his friends he had behind him. As he was getting ready to thank Arnold for his never ending reliability, he noticed the same dreamy look in his eyes. "Hey! Arnold!" he screamed, trying to get his attention.

"What? I'm sorry. I'm fine." Arnold insisted, hoping Gerald wouldn't suspect anything.

"Man, what is up with you?" Gerald demanded to know. He knew Arnold had always been the type of person who kept his head in the clouds, but not that frequently.

Arnold blushed at the thought of revealing what had just happened earlier. Even more so, would Helga be okay with spreading the news. She should be? She was the one who kissed him willingly, and in front of their friends!

"Well, you see Gerald. Something sort of happened earlier, on the way to your house…" Arnold began nervously.

"Oh boy, this doesn't sound good." Gerald rolled his eyes, as he continued working on the posters.

"I apologized to Helga for making her feel like showing her sensitive side to people meant she had to dress up. It went against her beliefs and made her incredibly uncomfortable." he went on.

"It was no picnic for me to watch either." Gerald admitted as Arnold rolled his eyes.

"I told her all I wanted was for her to not be afraid to show her passionate side, just because people EXPECT her to act tough. When I realized I pushed it too far by trying to encourage her to change her outward appearance, I apologized to her." Arnold said guiltfully.

"Sounds like something you'd do." Gerald said sarcastically.

"Then on our way to your house, she and I passed by Harold and Patty buying Mr. Fudgeys from the Jolly Olly man. Of course when that happened Harold stated to sing 'Arnold and Helga sittin' in a tree'" he continued.

"Guess he didn't take my Mr. Fudgey threat too seriously. I'm guessing Helga felt pretty vulnerable." Gerald assumed.

"Actually, it was the exact opposite. As I started pulling her along, she grabbed me and kissed me right in front of them. Then shouted back to Harold 'There's the rest of your song, Pink boy!'"

Arnold finished, trying not to smile again.

"Mm..mm..mmm! I guess as long as you don't make her dress like a girl, she's willing to act like it." Gerald said, having a hard time believing what he had just heard.

"I guess. I think we're both still having a hard time with this. She's not enjoying laying off her reputation. I'm not enjoying trusting her to take care of herself around Matt. Especially not after what happened today."

"Can you blame her?" Gerald interrupted.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Arnold asked curiously.

"Come on Arnold! If you want her to stick around, you have got to stop telling her what to do. Helga G. Pataki doesn't take orders from people." Gerald reminded him.

Feeling a bit irritated at the fact that Helga's abusive side was all Gerald could seem to see, he managed to continue. "She said I couldn't expect her to be sensitive AND stand up for herself. I realized after she mentioned that though, she had a point. On my way out of school, I saw Matt confront her at her locker." Arnold continued as his voice began to shake.

"Let me guess. Your hero self, ran over to grab her before things could get too heated? Gerald guessed wittingly.

Arnold ignored his sarcasm as he went on with his story. "Matt asked Helga out, but she refused. When she refused, he grabbed her and kissed her against her will." Arnold said, as his face turned pale just thinking back to the sight of it all.

"That's when you went over and punched him right?" Gerald asked anxiously.

"No, I just stood there and watched." Arnold sighed, regretfully staring at the floor.

"What?!" Gerald exclaimed, this being the last thing he expected to hear.

"As badly as I wanted to intervene, Helga said she didn't want to be rescued. She was tired of me not trusting that she could take care of herself. I knew it would end badly no matter what choice I made." Arnold said regretfully.

"Mmm.. . So then she was the one who punched him?" Gerald insisted.

"Actually, when she pushed him off her, she was crying pretty hard. I just lead her outside the school, and explained to her why I didn't butt in." he finished.

"You two may want to consider a restraining order." Gerald suggested.

Arnold smiled as he said, "Well, it's getting late. The store's going to be closing soon. I think we've got enough flyers."

"Yeah, and if I know Phoebe, she's written me a quality speech!" Gerald said proudly as Arnold smiled, eyes half lidded.

The two of them left the store as they walked down the dark lonely street, holding a few stacks of flyers and posters that had clearly not been given the greatest amount of attention. Suddenly, they passed by an all too familiar building. "Look at how worn out and deserted the FTi building is now man?" Gerald pointed out.

Arnold gleamed at it, remembering the moment he and Helga had that night the three of them saved the neighborhood together. As he stared at it, he heard Gerald snap his fingers and say, "Okay, what is up with you and that look tonight?!"

Shaking his head dramatically, he said, "Sorry Gerald, I was just thinking about what happened there that night."

"You mean, when we had to find the tomato document? I don't know what about it would make your eyes twinkle like that?" Gerald said as he lifted an eyebrow.

Arnold began to rub the back of his neck, unable to remove the smile on his face. "I was actually thinking about the person who helped us find the tomato document."

"Deep voice? That guy's the reason you can't stop smiling?" Gerald questioned him, still raising an eyebrow.

"Did I ever tell you Helga was deep voice?" Arnold asked hesitantly.

"Helga?! She...was deep voice?!" Gerald exclaimed, as his eyes widened.

"Yeah." Arnold admitted, while trying not to blush.

"So looking at that building got you all lovesick just because of her?" Gerald asked, starting to understand.

"That was also the place she confessed her love to me for the first time." Arnold explained, not considering how big of a deal what he just said may have sounded like.

Gerald's jaw dropped as his mind thought back to fourth grade. "You two hated each other that year?!"

"She'd kill me if I revealed all the information from that night, but apparently she did love me that year." Arnold revealed a light sigh, with half lidded eyes.

"Well she did a fine job of hiding it!" Gerald said, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Yeah, I guess." Arnold assumed as he thought back to their grade school years. Thinking to himself, _How could I have been so naive?_

Eventually, the two made it back to Gerald's house. As the two boys walked into Gerald's room, Phoebe was printing out Gerald's speech.

"Just in time sweetie! Helga and I put together a splendid speech for you. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised!" Phoebe insisted as Gerald made no hesitation in reaching for it.

"This looks great! Thanks for the help Helga!" Gerald smiled at her.

"Yeah don't sweat it. You ready to go Arnoldo." Helga looked at Arnold, as she yawned, getting up from her chair.

"You guys don't want to hang around and make more posters?" Gerald asked, already knowing the answer.

Helga glared at Arnold, as he rubbed the back of his neck and said, "We've gotten a great head start on them Gerald. Plus, your speech is done already. Everything will be ready in time. We, still hitting up the gym tomorrow?"

The two of them did their secret handshake as Gerald said, "You bet!"

As they left the house, Arnold took Helga's hand, walking home with no light but the stars that shone above them. He thought about the conversation he'd had with Gerald on their way back to Phoebe's, not realizing how tightly he was squeezing Helga's hand.

"Oww! Sheesh Arnoldo! You afraid of the dark or something?!" she exclaimed, as she tried setting her hand free.

Arnold began to rub it softly after realizing he had hurt her. "I'm sorry Helga! I just got distracted."

She turned her nose up at him, looking at the atmosphere around him. "Distracted by what, the stars? Gimme a break!"

He looked away, wondering if it would be a bad idea to bring up the topic, but also knowing at that point in their relationship they should be able to discuss anything with each other.

"Well, sort of." he blushed, as Helga raised one side of her eyebrow.

"What about them was so distracting, you forgot hand's aren't indestructible?" she asked, irritably.

Arnold began to blush harder as he struggled to get the words out. "Gerald and I passed by the FTi building on the way back to Phoebe's house."

When Helga heard this, she froze and pulled her hand away from Arnold's to place behind her head. She began rubbing it as she looked down at the ground and whispered, "Oh."

He saw the embarrassed look on her face, and right then knew it had been a mistake to bring it up. At least a mistake to imply he had said something about it to Gerald. Surely that was what was going through her head at the moment.

"Helga? Are you okay?"

"What did you tell him?" she asked nervously, as the two of them still stood there.

Arnold was kicking himself for revealing the information. Just earlier that day, she had taken such a big step in provoking their love to their friends. Not just that, she acted proudly while doing it. Now he was destroying all the delicate progress in their relationship that had been made.

"I promise, I didn't tell him anything worth being embarrassed over!" Arnold grabbed her hand again, not caring how tight he was squeezing it.

Helga looked at him with wide anxious eyes as she began to tremble and asked, "What does that mean?"

He sighed, knowing the only response she would approve of was _I didn't tell him anything._ He couldn't lie to her however. "I just told him you were deep voice…"

Knowing he was hiding something, she put her other hand on her waist and asked, "And…"

"And, that that was where you confessed your love to me." he gulped.

She dropped her hand from her waist, and took back her hand from his, ready to yell at him. Instead she noticed the look of fear in his eyes, and the look of regret on his face. She thought to herself, _He finally feels the passion for me, I showed to him that night. How could I be mad?_

Looking at his face fall to the ground, she let out a heavy sigh, rolled her eyes and said, "So does he have Pheebs doing all that stuff for him now? As smart as she is, she's nowhere near as creative as I am!"

Arnold looked up, amazed at her response. He wrapped his arms around her, giving her a hug as big as his smile. She stood there trapped with her arms inside his as she let out one of her famous love sick sighs until finally, "Alright! Break it off! What's with you and the squeezing tonight?"

He dropped his arms, but not his grin. Looking at her standing there, with her blond hair that shone as bright as the moon, her ocean blue eyes that twinkled like the stars, and her casual dress attire, he thought to himself, _What do I need to change about her?_

Reaching for her hand, she held it in her own and said to him, "Maybe we should just, keep our hands to ourselves the rest of the night."

Rolling his eyes back, still not breaking off the smile, he looked at her and said, "Whatever you say Helga."

The two of them at last made it to the boarding house, as Helga knew to step back when Arnold opened the door. She watched the animals pour out, saying to him, "So, do you enjoy your trip to the zoo every morning, noon, and night?"

He glared at her remark, knowing she had a point and answered, "It would be annoying if I had to sit and wait around for them to come back. They know their way home however, so it's no big deal."

"The pig sounds smarter than pink boy!" Helga exclaimed as Arnold tried to hold back his laugh.

The two of them wondered up the stairs as they noticed no one was awake. "Doesn't look like they left any dinner for you this time, Hairboy!" she joked, hoping he wouldn't take offense to it.

"Well, I told grandpa we had plans, and didn't know how long they would take. I don't know if my parents ever made it home for dinner, or if they decided to eat out. My grandma…." Arnold hesitated as Helga butted in.

"There's just no tellin' with her is there?" she finished.

"Uhh, not really." Arnold blushed as the two of them made it to his room. When they opened the door, Helga immediately grabbed her nightgown to change into. As she took off her clothes, something slipped out that she didn't notice.

Arnold reached over to grab the envelope as Helga continued to change into her pajama. She turned around to see Arnold reading the break up letter she had written at school that day.

"Whatcha got there Arnoldo?" she asked, as she saw his jaw dropping, unresponsive.

"Hey, Football head! What's with you?" she exclaimed until finally, he showed her the letter and asked, "Helga, what's this about?"

She gulped when she saw what he was reading. She turned paler than she naturally was, and began to tremble. "Oh this? It's nothing, it's stupid!" crumbling it up.

A frown formed on his face as he looked into her eyes and said, "Do you really want to break up with me?"

"Of course not Arnold! I was just having conflicted feelings!" she tried explaining to him, as he turned to face the door.

"About what?" he sighed, crossing his arms.

"My poetry teacher started talking to us about unrequited love…"

She began as Arnold's body started to tense. He knew she must be headed down the line of saying he loved her, but she no longer loved him.

"And?"

"It reminded me of how I felt about you in grade school. I hid my emotions from you all those years, making it impossible for you to return my unfathomably deep feelings of intimacy for you." she began as he interrupted.

"What does that have to do with the way things are between us now?" he asked anxiously.

"I realized while you finally love me, and my emotions for you haven't change, my actions haven't either. It isn't fair to you. You finally love me, the way I've longed for you to all these years. My love for you will never die. It's not fair for me to make someone so loving and patient as you are, deal with the stubborn attachment I have to my reputation. It shouldn't mean as much to me as my love for you; yet it does." she explained, realizing more and more how true it was; tears falling from her eyes.

Arnold threw the noted across the room as he approached her, seeing her sit on his bed. He took her hand, as she continued staring at the floor. "I think I'm finally okay with expressing my love for you around others. However, I know I will never be okay with that sensitivity crap other girls are obsessed with. THAT is what makes me feel incredibly weak. If I can deal with showing we're together around others, than I hope you can deal with my aggressive behavior towards others." She asked, looking away from him.

He smiled as he turned her face toward his and said softly to her, "Sounds like a good plan to me."

Not knowing quite what to say, she looked down at him beginning to rub her hands and said, "I thought we agreed you weren't going to touch me the rest of the night."

He took off his shirt as he pushed her down on the bed and said, "I don't know what made you think I was going to agree to that."

She at last returned his smile as he leaned in to kiss her. Their lips pressing against each other's as he thought to himself _Their as soft as her hands are!_

She pulled away, as if he was being teased. "You better not treat my lips like you did my hands tonight, Arnoldo!" she threatened.

Lifting his eyebrow at her remark, he leaned in as close as he could before touching them and whispered, "You know I'm not following that rule!"

Within the next few seconds, her nightgown was off, and the only clothes remaining between the two of them were her underwear. "You didn't think to buy some condoms while you were out, football head?!" she snarked.

He tried holding back a smile, knowing it would have been a good idea, as he said to her in defense, "We wanted to get home to you as quickly as we could!"

She lifted part of her eyebrow in disbelief, as she responded, "Oh right, so you could break my hand!"

"Whatever you say, Helga." he sighed, as he pressed his lips against her firmly. He wrapped his tongue around hers, exploring all around the inside of her mouth. So much so, neither of them paid any attention to the usual sensation that came from the feeling received when he felt her breasts. As he rubbed her nipples, and every so often ran his hands up and down her waist, feeling the smooth skin she possessed, all they could think about was how close their kisses had brought them that day…

While trusting her not to mess around with Matt ended in an unpleasant situation, it reassured them both of how strong their love for each other was.

Giving into her insecurities by willingly kissing Arnold in front of Harold and Patty made them both realize, it is possible for her to proudly show her feelings for him, while still maintaining her reputation.

He then put his hands around her head and pulled her in tight, while rubbing her face with his fingers. Both of them began struggling to breath, but letting her tongue slip away from his felt like letting her slip out of his life.

Finally, she found the strength to push him away, as she panted heavily. Saying to him, "Sheesh Arnoldo! What's with the aggressiveness tonight?!"

Still trying to catch his breath, he said, "I..I was just so..so scared."

Giving him a confused stare, she looked up at him with her flushed cheeks and asked, "Scared of what?"

"Everything that happened today! When we were having that discussion in the cafeteria about my making you feel as though I couldn't trust you to defend yourself, the bell rang before we could finish. Then, I saw Matt kissing you, and didn't know if I should intervene or not, based on how you felt about people defending you. Finally, telling Gerald about our private moment on the FTi building. I know how uncomfortable you still are talking about that...even with me!" he laid his head down on her chest, still needing to catch his breath, as she began to caress his hair.

Looking up at the stars through his window, she whispered down at him, "I'm sorry."

Suddenly, not caring about catching his breath, he looked up at her and asked, "What do you have to be sorry for?"

"For scaring you. You've just been wanting a regular, happy relationship with me. I know I've been making things difficult. I can't change who I am on the outside, but I'll also never change how I feel about you on the inside." she said, giving him a shy smile as he kissed her.

He softly rubbed his lips back and forth against hers as he said in between, "I don't ever want you to change… Helga G. Pataki."

As she blushed, he added on, "Is that part of your reputation? Making sure everyone knows your full name?" raising his eyebrows at her.

She pushed him off her as he began to kiss her again and said, "Shut up Arnoldo! At least my name doesn't imply what type of person I am!" she scowled.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he continued to listen.

"Think about it football head. Your last name is Shortman… and you are a short man!" she glared at him proudly as though she had him beat. Unexpectedly, he grabbed her by both arms, and pinned her to the bed.

"At least my name doesn't rhyme with 'wacky!'" he replied, with an even bigger grin.

She struggled to let loose, feeling the urge to smack him. "You're not winning this round!" he laughed as he bent down to give her a long kiss, with his legs spread out across her. As she began to give in, he laced his fingers with her, rubbing his member against her parts. As the feeling became more intense, he pulled his lips away from hers and said, "Maybe I should stop… before I…"

She laughed as she finished for him, "Wet yourself again."

He blushed, still continuing to rub them, until she felt him slowing down. He felt himself about to climax as he then began to step off her. Still having her hands within his grasp, she wrapped her legs around his back and said, "Keep going!"

"Ummm, Okay… but I'm running out of clean underwear." he blushed.

She rolled her eyes at him as she said, "Stop being such a wuss!"

He bent down to kiss her, as be started pressing harder again. Eventually, he released her hands, and wrapped them around her butt, rubbing her as hard as possible. She wrapped her arms around his back, with her legs still around him, until finally they felt something wet.

They opened their eyes at the same time. He blushed from embarrassment, as she smiled at the thought of him having to change his pants...again. "Still not potty trained, football head?" she teased.

He rolled his eyes as he started to get up and said, "Hey! You insisted."

She smirked at him as she pointed out, "Well if you had just bought the condoms…"

He bent down to give her another long but soft kiss with his arms wrapped around her head. Playing with her tongue, he thought to himself _I've got to do something to show her how much she means to me!_

As he sat up, he said to her, "I guess I should change my underwear, and we can get ready for bed."

She tried hard not to laugh as she said, "Yeah, you're probably right."

While Arnold walked to his dresser to find another pair of pants, Helga laid under the covers only in her underwear. For the first time since their relationship began, she was relaxed about the idea of walking into school the next day with Arnold.

He slid in next to her underneath the covers, wrapping his arm around her. Looking into her night sky eyes, he said, "Good night my love, see you in the morning." Her heart fluttered as she rested her head on his chest, not thinking about setting the alarm.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Did That Just Happen?

The next morning came, and they were awoken by a knock on the door. "Hey Shortman! Shortman's Girlfriend! It's 7:30. Don't you have school today?" Phil asked.

Arnold jumped out of bed, shaking Helga anxiously. "Helga! Helga! We're late for school! We've already missed the bus!"

Hearing what he said, she jumped up to get dressed, her only concern for the morning being tardy for class.

The two of them raced downstairs with eyesight bearable hair and dirty clothes. Helga raced for the door as Arnold found Phil and said, "I need the car grandpa!"

Not waiting for his response, he took the keys, and the two of them made a break for the garage. Helga's heart was pounding, not wanting to be late, as Arnold's only concern was how upset she may be if she was.

They made it to school at 7:55, not caring to follow the speed limits on the way. Helga ran inside, not thinking to say goodbye to Arnold. He was a bit disappointed, but didn't blame her for wanting to make it to class on time. As Helga raced through the halls, Rhonda stopped Helga in front of the other girls to say, "Oh look, it's Helga! I heard you and Matt had quite the escapade, yesterday!"

Helga rolled her eyes as she snapped, "Save it princess!"

"Oh, watch it now. Wouldn't want to show Matt your true colors." Rhonda said, not caring how mad she made Helga.

Arnold was approaching the same part of the hallway they were in as he heard Rhonda teasing Helga. He expected Helga's insecurities to get the best of her. Instead, she responded.

"Yeah, well Arnold's my boyfriend so it doesn't matter what Matt thinks of me! Now shove off. If I'm late to class, I'm wringing your neck!" Helga scowled as Rhonda's jaw dropped and a smile formed on Arnold's face like it never had before. He couldn't wait to see her at lunch to tell her once again how much she meant to him.

Helga made it to class just as the bell rang. Her anticipation turned out to be somewhat pointless, as the teacher appeared to be nowhere in sight. Just then, Helga was tapped on the shoulder. She looked up to see Amanda standing behind her with a note. "What's this?" she asked irritably.

"Matt asked me just ever so nicely to give this to you." Amanda said.

Helga rolled her eyes, as she took the note and waved Amanda off. _I truly enjoyed our kiss yesterday. Perhaps I'll be waiting by your locker again soon!"_

Helga gulped at the sight of those words, just as the teacher walked in.

"Hello class, sorry I'm late! Yesterday I believe we were discussing unrequited love."

The class nodded their heads, uninterested in what was about to be said.

"Unrequited love is one of the most painful things a person can go through. People don't realize emotional pain can be as terrible, if not worse, than physical pain. If you're a sensitive person, rejection is one of the most petrifying feelings a person can experience. To avoid the thought of such an experience, some people may find it easier to hide their true feelings from a person. They think to themselves, imagining the possibility what they want happening is better than knowing the reality of it not happening." the teacher explained as Helga gave her full attention to the lecture. While she finally felt a connection with Arnold, it was nice seeing there were others out there who experienced the same emotional conflicts she struggled with.

Lunch time came, and Arnold anxiously headed for the cafeteria, passing Gerald on the way.

"Whoa buddy! Where's the fire?!" Gerald asked, knowing who his friend had to be rushing to see.

"Oh, hey Gerald. I'm just meeting Helga for lunch." Arnold said, not quite being able to bring himself to a halt.

"Uh huh… Well tell her not to go all out, if I'm buying for everybody!" he pointed a finger at Arnold, not understanding what could be so exciting about having lunch with Helga.

Meanwhile, Phoebe was approaching Helga in the cafeteria. Advancing closer, she noticed Helga to be a bit disconcerted. Her body trembling excessively, her feet tapping against the hard cafeteria tiling profusely, her fists clenched into one tight wad.

"Helga?" Phoebe questioned calmly as she could. It did no good however. The moment Helga sensed any motion, she felt as though she was about to leap out of her seat.

"Huh?!" she gasped.

"Are you alright, Helga? You appear to be so tense?" Phoebe gazed at her nervous facial expression, as she pulled up a chair to sit beside her best friend.

"I..I.. kind of have a problem, Pheebs." Helga muttered, unable to relax her body.

Looking at the despair in her best friend's eyes, she didn't hesitate to ask, "What is it?"

Helga unclenched her fists to show Phoebe a crumpled up note...

 _I truly enjoyed our kiss yesterday. Perhaps I'll be waiting by your locker again soon_

Not having been told about Helga's unpleasant encounter with Matt, Phoebe asked, "Is this from Arnold?"

Helga held a hand to her face at the stress of it all, and replied, "No! It's from Matt!"

Nearly dropping the note, Phoebe looked at Helga in astonishment and asked, "So.. you and Matt have…Does Arnold know?"

Still staring at the table, Helga let out a deep sigh as she answered, "Yeah, yeah, he earned himself a front row seat to the disastrous debut!"

"And he was okay with it?" Phoebe continued on with her questions, still razzled by the whole situation.

"Oh yeah Pheebs...he absolutely loved it….No! He wasn't okay with it! Sheesh!" Helga snarled in disbelief at her question.

"Did he not do anything to stop it?" she demanded, losing her politle sense of tone.

"I told him I didn't appreciate the way he always tried to fight my battles for me. That it was one thing to ask me to show my sensitive side, but I couldn't just be flat out defenseless, like he was imposing I should be. Then Matt was waiting for me at my locker. I told him to leave me alone, but he grabbed me to kiss me and wouldn't let go. Arnold didn't feel right butting in, because I told him to stop trying to defend me." Helga explained as her tone grew lower and more shameful.

Phoebe gave her friend a sympathetic look as she simply said, "He knows you love him Helga. If you feel vulnerable around Matt, just keep Arnold next to you."

Helga's eyes shot up at the accusation of her experiencing any type of vulnerability whatsoever. It was then she realized, just earlier that day she held tight to both her emotions and reputation. As she told Rhonda off that morning for making fun of her, she proudly admitted to loving Arnold while doing it. She no longer felt defenseless now that she wasn't walking around all dolled up. She could let her reputation show to anyone who messed with her about anything she did not approve of them messing with her about.

As Helga was pondering this information, Arnold and Gerald walked up to the table. "Hey Helga! Hey Phoebe!" Arnold addressed them both happily as he sat down next to Helga.

Gerald sighed at the crowd in front of him. He didn't see them as a group of friends. He saw them as three extra mouths to feed. "All right! What's everyone having?" he asked depressingly.

"I'll go with you to get the food Gerald. You can't carry it all." Arnold insisted, as they waited for the girls answers.

"I'd be happy with a simple salad." Phoebe requested with a loving smile on her face. Arnold looked over to see Helga staring off into space, as he asked, "Helga? Are you alright?"

"Huh? Oh yeah fine." she answered, hoping he wouldn't ask what was bothering her.

"What would you like us to bring you from the lunch line?" he asked hesitantly.

She put her hand to her head, not in the mood to answer questions. "I'm really not hungry, Arnold. You don't need to get me anything."

Before Arnold could respond, Gerald dragged him along and said, "Great! One less mouth to feed!"

Phoebe sat there, feeling Helga's inquiry had been taken care of. However, thoughts continued racing through Helga's mind, all narrowing down to, _My mind won't be at ease, until Matt confronts me again, and I'm able to prove my publicly known feelings for Arnold can't stop me from punching that sucker's face in!_

As the two girls waited patiently for the boys to return, Arnold and Gerald were waiting for the line to start moving. "I know I swore I wasn't going to eat pizza again any time soon, but it's the cheapest thing on the menu." Gerald thought to himself out loud.

Feeling a bit of sympathy for his friend, Arnold put a hand to his shoulder and said, "You know Gerald, Helga's not eating, and I can pay for my own food. That just leaves you and Phoebe to worry about." Gerald's distraught look immediately turned to one that screamed _Here's my credit card, get ready to swipe!_

"Well in that case, after I get my lady her salad, I think I'll get myself one of those big steak sandwiches they always got waiting at the end of the line!" he exclaimed, imagining himself already digging into it.

"You know Gerald, your speech is at the end of the week. You don't want your stress getting the best of you." Arnold said holding his hand behind his neck.

Gerald crossed his arms, pouting at the floor, knowing Arnold was always right. Arnold felt as though Gerald had been given a coupon for a buffet, and he had just pointed out the expiration date to him.

"Look at it this way. Just make it through Friday, then the pressure's off, and you can eat whatever you want!" Arnold smiled softly at him, hoping it would have some sort of impact on him.

Gerald turned to look at him with an appreciative look, as he said, "Thanks man. We still going to the gym this afternoon?"

Arnold looked back at the table where the girls were sitting, knowing something had to be bothering Helga. Seeing she was in the same position he left her in, elbows on the table, staring off into space, not speaking to Phoebe. He felt he owed Helga a special night after their movie was cancelled.

"Uhh sure, sounds good. I guess if you and Phoebe want to stop by my place after school, Phoebe can hang out with Helga, while we go to the gym." Arnold suggested as the two did their secret handshake.

Finally, they were back at the table. Arnold with a club sandwich in his hand, and Gerald with two salads. "Here you go babe!" Gerald said as he placed Phoebe's salad in front of her. As she looked over to see what he had chosen to eat, she couldn't help but comment, "You're eating a salad too?"

"Yeah. I had my eye on that steak sandwich, but Arnold here set me straight." Gerald sighed at the salad while smiling at Arnold, with a hand on Phoebe.

She gave him a supportive smile, which made him all the more confident he had a chance at winning the election.

Arnold took a seat next to Helga, her eyes still wondering around the room. "Here Helga. I got you a soda. You can have some of my sandwich too, if you decide you're hungry."

Her fingers brushed Arnold's as she reached for the bottle. Her heart then fluttered as she saw him smiling at her, and for a moment she forgot about Matt. He scooted closer to wrap his arm around her, as she drank her soda. With her soda in her right hand, she laid her left hand on top of Arnold's hand to put on her right shoulder. Rubbing it back and forth, she thought to herself _I don't like being rescued, but I love the feeling of protection he brings to me. The comfortability that surrounds me whenever he is near._

"This salad is exquisit!" Phoebe exclaimed, seeing Gerald did not concur. His facial gesture towards his salad was quite similar towards the one he made when he saw Arnold trying to feed Helga.

"Are you sure you're not hungry, Helga?" Arnold asked, worriedly.

"I'll be fine, Arnold." she said annoyed, while not letting go of his hand.

Half way through his sandwich, he couldn't stand the idea of Helga not eating something. "Please just take a bite!" he begged her, as she gave him an absurd look.

"I'm not a baby, I don't need you to feed me!" she scowled.

Arnold gave her a half lidded stare as he leaned closer to her with the sandwich in her face and said, "Apparently you do."

As she looked into his eyes, she forgot for a moment there were two other people at the table with them. She put down her soda and put her hand up to his face, smiling at the idea of how much he cared about her. She had always felt safe with Arnold, but this was the first time she had ever felt comfortable. Hundreds of other students were around, but all that mattered to her was the warmth of his love and care. Her mind melted into the idea of him always being there to take care of her until her thoughts were suddenly interrupted…

"Will you two just finish that sandwich before I throw up my salad!" Gerald commanded, snapping Helga out of her daze.

"Oh fine! Give me a bite." Helga opened her mouth, as Arnold set it inside. She struggled biting off a piece, as big as the sandwich was. When Arnold saw how hard it was for her to break off a piece, he couldn't help but say, "Let me know if you need help chewing that."

Helga quickly guzzled down her Yahoo soda, so she could scowl, "Hey! It's not my fault that bacon was extra chewy! Glad I didn't let you get me anything! Sheesh!"

Arnold rolled his eyes at her pride, then wrapped his arm around her waist. Holding one of her hands in his, he leaned in closely and said, "That's okay. I saved you some _dessert!_ "

Her eyes widened as his lips nearly reached hers, their noses resting on each others. Arnold thinking back to the moment in the hall when she proudly scowled at Rhonda they were an actual couple. He then removed his hand from her waist to behind her head, and laced their fingers in their hands. At last their lips met, and although part of Helga's mind was reminded they were around several other students, the other part melted at sharing this moment with him.

Phoebe kept her mind on her salad, not caring about the chemistry sparking at the opposite side of the table. Gerald however, tried to intervene. "You do know they have a janitor's closet for that type of behavior?"

Neither of them paid attention. As Arnold sucked her tongue harder, Helga began to moan. She felt every urge to jump into his lap, as butterflies filled her stomach. Chills began to run up her back, feeling him start to run his hand up and down her arm.

Arnold slowly released her tongue, giving them both a chance to catch their breath. Not removing their faces from each other's, he examined her flushed cheeks, and trembling lips. Feeling the constant vibration in her arm, he slowly whispered to her, "Are you comfortable with this?"

Her eyes darted from each corner of the cafeteria. Some people were enjoying their lunch, looking away with their own conversations. Others were facing in her direction, sending awkward facial gestures, while whispering to their peers. As she was about to have second thoughts, she looked back at Arnold and melted into his eyes. The love of his concerned look for her, the warm touch of his arms around her, the sweet smell of his hair she had longed for so many years to know the shampoo for… This possession of the love of this one amazing boy, was worth more than the respect of the entire student body.

She smiled back at him and responded, "I'm more than comfortable."

Gerald rolled his eyes as he dropped his fork, pushed away his salad and said, "Well I'm not!"

Helga reached for Arnold and locked lips with him once more. As she wrestled with his tongue, his body stiffened and his mind froze. _She's comfortable with this?_ Hoping he hadn't done anything to manipulate her, he finally felt the urge to relax his nerves and pull her in closer. Her chest was now pressed against his, as he moved his hands further up her waist.

Phoebe finally lifted her head, to see Gerald dropping his jaw in astonishment at the two love birds. While she simply smiled at the idea of her best friend having the courage to not let their peers run her life, she noticed Gerald's petrified reaction. She reached to cover his mouth when she noticed he was about to say something to interrupt their special moment.

Rolling his eyes at Phoebe's sweet gesture to look out for their friends, Gerald turned to whisper in her ear, "Will this lunch never end?" She giggled at his remark, understanding how he felt.

Helga then slowly removed her lips from Arnold's and began to ask, trembling "Ar..Arnold?"

Looking at her with lovesick eyes, he asked "Yes, Helga?"

"Do..do you think we..we took things too far?" she asked, hoping he didn't regret anything.

"I'll say you did!" Gerald snapped, as Phoebe kicked him, hoping to send him the message this wasn't the time to intervene. Helga was at last becoming comfortable with the idea of showing her true feelings for Arnold around their peers.

Arnold rested his lips against hers without kissing them, as he whispered, "I'll never regret anything I do around anyone with you."

As she felt her heart begin to pound, she let out a lovesick sigh. Just as he was about to lean in for another kiss, the bell rang. Gerald jumped out of his seat, "At last! Well my lovesick friend, meet you in the hall!"

Arnold just waved, not caring to take his eyes off Helga. While he sighed at the idea of having to leave her, he could still feel her warm lips on his.

"I guess I'll meet you outside, after school." he said to Helga, as she batted her eyelashes. "Sounds good football head."

The two of them got up from the table and headed in opposite directions to their classes. Arnold saw Gerald all the way at the end of the hall. Although they weren't in the same class, he did enjoy walking with him. "Hey Gerald! What's your hurry?"

Gerald stopped to wait for him, as he turned to Arnold and said, "I don't know what you did to get her to open up to you in front of everyone like that man, but I wasn't going to stick around for the sequel!"

Arnold began to blush as he looked and thought _Maybe we did take things too far in there?_ "Sorry Gerald, I just got carried away. She's FINALLY okay with admitting to everyone she's in an open relationship with me!"

"Congratulations, but that doesn't mean the physical part of it has to be 'open' to everyone!" Gerald pointed out to him.

"I know, it's just that…" he began, as Gerald listened, hoping they wouldn't be late to class.

"We overslept this morning, so all Helga could think about was making it to class on time. We didn't talk in the car, hold hands, or do anything." Arnold explained.

"Sounds awful" Gerald said wittingly, raising an eyebrow.

"Then when she raced inside without me, I made it in to see Rhonda pestering her about Matt." Arnold cringed his fists at the idea of Matt coming onto Helga

"Mm..mmm….mmmm. How'd that turn out?" Gerald wondered.

"Helga shouted that I was her boyfriend, and Matt's opinion of how she acted didn't matter." he told Gerald, trying not to smile too big.

"Well, looks like you finally got your wish buddy!" Gerald said, with a bit of relief.

"Yeah, I just hope she meant it." Arnold said, sighing at the ground.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Gerald asked, as he raised an eyebrow, wondering what problem his friend could be creating for himself now.

"She could have just been trying to get Rhonda off her back. I mean she was worried about being late, so she didn't really have time to stop and think about what she was saying. Plus, saying stuff she doesn't mean to look tough is kind of her thing. Then again saying she likes me is the one thing she hasn't been able to make herself say to anyone, because it WOULDN'T make her look mean…" Arnold went on rambling until finally Gerald intervened.

"Arnold! What is wrong with you?! This overthinking of yours is the whole problem standing in the way of your relationship!" Gerald exclaimed.

Snapping out of his troubled mind state, Arnold looked over at Gerald and asked, "What are you talking about."

Gerald stopped walking to get Arnold's undivided attention. As he turned to face Arnold, he said in a regretful voice, "I know this goes against everything I just told you, but THINK about it! Helga told you she's been in love with you since grade school. However, basically all that stands in the way of her allowing you to… act out that sick lunch time performance from earlier every day of the week…. Is the fact that she cannot stop thinking about other people's opinion of her. She finally gained your interest, but couldn't stop thinking about how that may affect her reputation. Now here she is reaching out to you, and all you're thinking about is finding some sort of lame excuse as to why she could be doing this. Every time you two get what you are craving, you think to yourselves, 'there's got to be a catch to this.'"

Arnold's head fell to the floor as he let Gerald's information, which he had been blind to, sink in. "I'm sorry Gerald. It just doesn't seem possible that I could have such an amazing girl, be this interested in me."

Gerald began walking again, placing a hand on Arnold's shoulder as he followed. "Whatever you say, buddy."

When they went their separate ways, Arnold walked into Calculus, uninterested as always. Even with the stress of what could have truly been behind Helga's reason for releasing those meaning words in the hallways that morning running through his head, he could still feel the warmth and love from her sweet lips pressing against his.

Leaving class without bothering to take any notes, Arnold headed for the front door as soon as the bell rang.

With Arnold on her mind, Helga had forgotten about Matt's threatening letter. Not needing to stop by her locker, she raced through the front doors, anxious to see Arnold. Instead, she saw Rhonda, chatting with Nadine and Lila.

"Out so soon Helga? I thought you'd take a few extra moments to spend with Matt." Rhonda giggled and Helga clenched her fists and said, "No, but maybe I could send him your number. I'm sure you two would hit it off just great, Princess!"

"I can hit it off with any guy Helga, I'm just that good!" Rhonda replied, as she flipped back her hair with a wave of confidence.

"Really? Because I'm pretty sure Curly still writes your name all over his books. Want me to give him your number?" Helga asked wittingly.

After seeing Rhonda's angry glare and no response, Helga proudly turned away. She then bumped into Matt. Her eyes wide with terror, while his hand laid on her with pleasure. "Hey babe, I didn't see you at your locker?" he flirted with her, not caring how uncomfortable it may make her.

"I didn't need to go. Now shove off!" Helga replied, feeling great to have some ammunition back in her personality.

Arnold was exiting the school as he saw Matt grabbing Helga at the end of the sidewalk.

"I'd rather shove you on me!" Matt pulled her close, not letting her escape.

Helga struggled with fury as she screamed, "Let me go geekbait!"

Arnold's face turned bright red as he saw Matt begin to rub her waist, and place his head on hers. As Helga tried to defend herself, she wasn't strong enough to fight Matt's grip.

As Matt was about to place his hand across Helga's chest, he felt someone grab his fist tightly. He loosened his grip on Helga, to turn around and see Arnold ready to punch him.

"Let...Her...Go!" Arnold demanded, as Helga backed away, not caring at that point who the hero was.

Matt laughed at his anger, as he responded, "You're shorter than I am. What makes you think I'm afraid of you?"

Helga's fist clenched at the idea of anyone making fun of her beloved.

Knowing he had a point, Arnold responded, "If you ever come near her again, I'll go straight to the principal's office!"

Rolling his eyes, showing he wasn't the slightest bit scared, Matt began to say, "What makes you th…"

With that, he fell to the ground in front of half the school. Arnold turned to look at Helga, still holding up her fist in fury, as she screamed to what may or may not have been a conscious student, "NO ONE MAKES FUN OF MY BOYFRIEND LIKE THAT!"

Listening to her, Arnold couldn't decided what was more shocking to him... seeing her punch Matt, or hearing her announce Arnold was her boyfriend...and in front of half the school!

Finally able to set her fists down, she turned to Arnold and said, "Well football head let's get going. Pheebs and Geraldo will be at your place soon."

She reached out for his hand, not thinking twice about who was watching them, as Arnold said, "Oh..um..right Helga!" Arnold looked back at Matt still laying on the ground, not being able to help feeling a bit sorry for him. Helga continued walking, as though she had forgotten he was even there.

After walking in silence for a bit, considering everything Gerald had told him, Arnold finally felt the need to question Helga's motive.

"Hey, um… Helga?" he asked hesitantly, wondering how big of a mistake he was making.

She turned to look at his troubled face, wondering what could possibly be wrong. "What is it?"

"Do you really feel comfortable calling me your boyfriend? Are you sure it wasn't just a heat of the moment ordeal. I mean, you were in a pretty big rush to get to class this morning. Then, Matt was being a jerk to us." Arnold continued to question the logic of the situation, hoping there was no need for it.

She smiled at his suspicion and said, "So this is really how it's going to be? I open up to you… then you pull away from me."

"What? NO! That's not what I meant at all! I just didn't want you to feel pressured into doing anything you weren't comfortable with!" he gasped, trying to explain the reason behind his questioning.

"Relax football head. I know it was shocking, and to be honest. I'm still probably not as completely comfortable with it as you are. I'm realizing that announcing my feelings does come with a sense of relief. I can still stand up for myself and have a sensitive side. Like you said, it's okay to be sweet and sour." She winked at him as he turned to kiss her. Before she bent down, she couldn't help but say, "Yeah, it does suck that you haven't grown much since school. That you're just now my height."

He straightened up to glare at her, sighing as he said, "Whatever you say, Helg.."

No sooner had he finished his sentence, she turned to kiss him, running her fingers through his hair, and her tongue alongside his. Before she straightened up, she whispered to him, as she released their lips, "You're perfect, just the way you are."

His face turned red as she caressed his cheeks, rubbing her soft hands against them. He thought to himself, _Do I REALLY have to go to the gym tonight?_

Before they knew it, they were back at the boarding house. Helga stood back as usual when Arnold opened the door. "I think Abner's starting to like you Helga." Arnold smiled as Helga snorted and said, "He's smarter than he looks, evidently."

The two of them passed by the kitchen where Phil was playing checkers with Oscar. "Hey grandpa!" Arnold waved.

"Hey shortman! How was school?" Phil asked, as Oscar moved two of the pieces.

"Well it was..." Before he could finish, Helga butted in.

"Arnold knocked some poor sucker right on his butt! He fell to the ground in front of the entire school. Kids screaming! It was a real riot!" Helga yelled with anticipation.

"Arnold, you did what?" Mr. Kakashka asked, as Phil raised his eyebrows in disbelief.

"No, I didn't punch anyone! I was defending Helga, when Matt wouldn't leave her alone! Then, uh… she kind of… punched him. That is, when he started making fun of me." Arnold lowered his head, feeling a bit of embarrassment.

"You let your girlfriend beat someone up for you?" Phil questioned.

"Grandpa! I did not LET her… we were helping each other out." Arnold tried to explain, as Helga held back a laugh.

"Anyway, Gerald and I are going to the gym tonight. Phoebe will probably be staying over a while to hang out with Helga if that's alright." he explained.

"Guess if you need your girlfriend to fight for you, it's not a bad idea to go to the gym!" Phil insisted.

"Grandpa!" Arnold left annoyed as he dragged Helga upstairs, still trying not to laugh.

The two of them made it to his bedroom, as Arnold threw his book bag near the computer and Helga took a seat on the bed as usual.

"So, you didn't want to be the hero in the story?" she asked, still messing with him.

"You know I'm not that kind of person Helga! Arnold sighed, as he went through his dresser, taking out his work out clothes.

Still smiling, Helga watched him take off his clothes, as she responded, "Yeah, we both know that's true. I can't believe you ever thought you could defend me."

Only having his shorts on now, Arnold walked over to her and asked, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It MEANS football head, you're about as mean as you are tall! You're not aggressive!" She scowled as he approached her in his shorts. Her eyes grew as he crawled on top of her to say, "Are you sure about that?"

"Pre..pretty sure." she hesitated, as he pressed his nose against her.

Not moving his face away from hers, he said softly, "Let's find out!"

He held her head tight, sucking her tongue as if the moisture that came from it was the air he needed to breath. Not long after he started, she began to moan, thinking about how badly they both wanted this closeness in the cafeteria. As he heard her moan, he began rubbing their parts together. He lifted her up to gain more pressure, until he couldn't take it anymore. He took off his shorts, along with her pants, hoping to get a more extreme feeling of passion stimulating.

As he rubbed faster, he lifted his hands under her bra. Feeling the closeness of his soft hands against them made her nipples stiffen. Suddenly, they heard a knock on the door. "Hey Arnold! It's us man!" Gerald knocked as Phoebe stood beside him.

As Arnold jumped off Helga, panting for breath, he said, "Gi...give us just a mi...minute Gerald."

Gerald put a hand to his face when he heard this. He then crossed his arms and looked at Phoebe, "Dare we even ask?"

A moment later, Arnold opened the door, with a red face and short of breath. "Hey...hey guys! Come on in."

"Mmm...mmm..mmm!" Gerald shook his head as Phoebe giggled, walking in with a stack of papers. She saw Helga (red as well) sitting nervously on Arnold's bed. "Hello Helga! I brought some flyers to put the finishing touches on while the boys are working out."

"This election may be easier for him to win than you think Pheebs!" Helga smirked, gaining back her confidence.

"Why is that?" Gerald asked, lifting his eyebrow.

"We suckerpunched Matt for you! Fell straight to the ground! Blood everywhere! No need to thank us!" Helga said confidently, while Arnold rolled his eyes at her exaggeration.

"Oh my! That sounds terrible!" Phoebe exclaimed as Gerald dropped his jaw.

"Helga, that is not what happened! Yes, he did get hit. Yes, he did fall to the ground." Arnold tried correcting her.

"But…" Gerald said.

"There was no blood, or rioting." Arnold finished.

"Even so man, I can't believe you hit someone! Gerald exclaimed.

"I didn't, it was Helga. Matt wouldn't leave her alone, so I went to help her." he began.

"Sounds like she ended up helping you." Gerald said wittingly, as Helga and Phoebe laughed.

Arnold sighed irritably approaching the door. "Whatever you say Gerald. Come on, let's get to the gym. We'll be back soon guys."

"Take your time football head! We can take care of ourselves...I'm not so sure about you." Helga teased as their two friends laughed along.

Arnold and Gerald then left the room as Phoebe looked at the wide smile on Helga's face, and said. "It seems you're finally content with the way things are between you and Arnold."

"Yeah Pheebs, I'm starting to see this open relationship thing isn't such a big deal. Every now and then I come across someone who needs a fist thrown in their face for throwing an unnecessary opinion my way. Aside from that, it's been good." Helga sighed, still smiling.

"I suppose we won't be needing to put too much effort into these posters and flyers then. That is, if Matt won't be recovering any time soon." Phoebe questioned, looking at the stack of papers on the bed.

Helga shrugged her shoulders at the question as she replied, "The heck if I know Pheebs. I just know when my fist meet his face, his face met the ground, and the two of them met my back."

Trying not to giggle, Phoebe tried pushing for more information., "So, what exactly was Matt doing to you?"

Not wanting to reveal the information, Helga sat silently for a moment. Seeing the miserable look on her face, Phoebe put her hand on Helga's shoulder and assured her, "I'm always here if you need to talk."

Helga looked in her direction, thinking to herself how lucky she was to have a friend like Phoebe. "I raced outside to find Arnold after school."

Nodding her head in an understanding matter, she replied, "I'm not surprised after that 'tasteful' lunch the two of you shared."

"Oh give me a break Phoebe!" Helga scowled, rolling her eyes.

Still smiling at her friend, she said, "Sorry Helga. Please continue."

Quickly getting over Phoebe's remark, Helga went on to say, "Rhonda stopped me as I exited the school, to pester me about Matt."

Sending her friend a puzzled look, Phoebe asked, "How does Rhonda know about the two of you?"

Helga shrugged her shoulders, frowning at the floor as she explained, "Apparently her and several other students saw him shove his tongue down my throat. I guess I'm not surprised. We were in the hallway when school let out."

"So, what did she say to you about it then?" Phoebe asked anxiously.

"Basically, she told me to pretty up my act if I didn't want to lose him. I told her earlier this morning, Arnold is my boyfriend, and I could care less about Matt." Helga tried keeping it short.

"That's amazing Helga! You finally admitted your feelings in front of the school!" Phoebe said full of joy as she hugged her best friend.

"Yeah, but that didn't stop her from pestering me. That is, until I embarrassed her with the idea of offering to give her Curly's phone number." Helga smiled, as she began to laugh.

"Anyway, no sooner had I turned away from her direction, I bumped into Matt. He held me tight, trying to feel me up." she began to feel more comfortable explaining as Phoebe asked, "Oh my, what happened then?"

"I threatened him to leave me alone, but I wasn't strong enough to break free. Just when he was about to hit second base, Arnold walked up. At that moment, I really didn't care who told him off. Then, he made fun of how short Arnold is. He's not the midget he was in grade school, but he's still not approaching six feet like the other guys.

I felt my rage building up inside me. Without thinking about it, I punched his lights out and warned him never to make fun of Arnold again." Helga finished, shaking at the thought of everything that had happened that day. She had announced Arnold was her boyfriend, let him feed her, made out with him, and held hands all in front of the school.

Seeing Helga was still overwhelmed by all of this, Phoebe patted her friend on the back and said, "I'm proud of you...and you should be too!"

Meanwhile, Arnold and Gerald had made it halfway to the gym. "So, tell me some more about this fight Bruce Lee!" Gerald laughed.

Arnold rolled his eyes, knowing he wasn't going to get any more lenience from Gerald than he did Helga about the situation. "I walked outside and saw Matt with his arms around Helga."

"Kind of like the first time you saw them together...but decided not to pull out your ninja moves." Gerald said jokingly.

"He was trying to feel her up Gerald! She was threatening him and shouting for him to let go. She just wasn't strong enough to get away. Luckily, I stepped in before he could take things too far." Arnold said irritably as he thought about Matt with his arms around Helga.

"All she needed was your permission to punch him. That or for you to cause a distraction, so she could be the one to punch him." Gerald said, still not being able to knock off the jokes.

"You might as well say that." Arnold sighed.

Gerald looked at Arnold's depressing face and said, "Cheer up man! It's like having your own personal bodyguard!"

"I just wish I could do that for her. When Matt made fun of me, she punched him and said 'No one makes fun of my boyfriend!' But the best I could do for her was threaten to go to the principal." Arnold sighed as Gerald stopped in front of the gym.

"Arnold! You got Helga G. Pataki to announce her feelings for you! Trust me man, you've done enough." he said, as the two entered the gym.

As the boys entered the building, they walked down the hall, passing the auditorium. Gerald looked around and said, " .mmm. This place sure brings back memories."

"Yeah, like the time the boarders and I were on Fighting Families." Arnold recalled, as Gerald rolled his eyes and said, "I'll say, the sight of your family made everyone want to scream 'commercial!'"

"Thanks Gerald." Arnold responded sarcastically, as Gerald patted his back to say, "Don't mention it buddy."

When finally approaching the end of the hall, they entered the gym. "This place hasn't changed a bit!" Arnold said, looking at the rusty bleachers, the poorly painted walls, and the clock hanging that was still off by three hours.

"The only good thing about it, is Coach Wittenburg is nowhere in sight." Gerald said, as he and Arnold went to lift some weights. "So, I guess with Matt out of the way, you won't have anything to worry about on Friday." Arnold said, as he tried picking up a fifty pound weight.

"If I'm lucky, he won't even show. Then they'll have no choice but to make me class president. No speech necessary." Gerald said, watching Arnold struggle with the weights.

After an hour of lifting weights, and debating on whether or not Matt would even show up at school the next day, the two of them headed back to the boarding house. "Man, I can't wait to show my new muscles to Phoebe!" Gerald exclaimed.

"Uhh… I don't think they've formed just yet Gerald." Arnold sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.

"You always have to be right about everything don't you." Gerald said, feeling his fun had been ruined.

"Well yeah, so I might as well ask, you're not going to go home and have ice cream, or anything else 'fun' to eat are you?" Arnold pointed out.

Gerald rolled his eyes in disbelief at Arnold's ability to think that far ahead, yet he wasn't surprised. "No, man I promise!"

When the two made it back to Arnold's, they went to his bedroom to find Helga and Phoebe hadn't moved from where they were left.

"Oh, you boys are back so soon?" Phoebe asked, as she saw them entering the room.

"It's only been an hour, and you smell like you've been gone a week." Helga scowled, as Gerald walked over to Phoebe. "Come on babe, let's go home. Maybe we can stop for desert!"

Arnold immediately crossed his arms as he glared in best friends direction, "Gerald!"

Passing by him, he patted Arnold's shoulder and said, "Just kidding buddy. We'll see you two at school tomorrow."

"See ya Pheebs!" Helga waved, as did Arnold to Gerald.

Closing the door, Arnold turned to face Helga and hear her say, "So, you think you're strong enough to protect me now?"

Feeling tired, Arnold gave a weak smile and said, "Probably not. I'm going to take a shower. Care to join me?" Not thinking about what he had said, she looked up at him and asked, "What did you just ask me?"

They had done it one before. Much like their other big first time intimate situations, they considered it a 'heat of the moment.' After all, neither of them wanted to leave the other that night they got the hotel.

"Ohh..umm..I..uhhh...I mean. You're welcome to come. You know, if you want. Like you said though, you can take care of yourself. It's me who needs protection." Arnold said, trying to think of a good excuse for what he had just asked her.

Helga gave a blank stare, thinking to herself for a moment, _We'll we've already seen each other naked. What's adding a little hot water to the situation going to hurt?_

Her eyes then fell into a half lidded gaze as she forced herself to hold back a lovesick sigh. "Sure football head! I mean, you could probably use someone tall to reach those top spots on your head, am I right?" she smirked.

Arnold rolled his eyes as he said, "Very funny Helga, You know we're the same height now, so I can't be that short. I'll be back with the towels."

Before he could walk away, Helga shouted, "Arnold wait!"

To his amazement, he turned sharply and asked, "What is it?"

"Umm… as much as I want to. Don't you think your parents might find it awkward. You know, seeing us come out of the shower together?" she began to blush as she let out her question, while picturing the two of them walking the hallway in nothing but their towels.

"You do have a point, but everyone's asleep. My grandpa might be downstairs. Every once in awhile, he'll be grabbing a snack out of the fridge. My parents are never wandering around in the middle of the night, however." Arnold said, hoping to put her mind at ease.

Helga began to relax her muscles as she said, "Well okay then Arnold."

Having finally caught his breath from the workout, Arnold's mind began to run more clearly. He then turned to Helga and said, "We could just change in the bathroom. The towels are already in there, if you'd like to just go ahead and follow me?"

She sat up casually, hoping to hide her nervousness as she said, "Whatever floats your boat football head!"

The two of them walked quietly down the dark, empty hallway. While Arnold's mind was at ease, Helga couldn't help but sense someone may at some point catch them. Upon arriving at the bathroom door, Arnold slowly turned the knob as Helga practically shoved him aside and raced in with anticipation.

Arnold stepped in with her as he said wittingly, "Don't worry, I'm sure no one heard that loud thump you caused me to create by shoving me into the wall."

She turned to glare at him, as she said, "Hey! If we get caught, you'll be joining Matt on the ground tomorrow hairboy!"

Arnold turned on the hot water as Helga began getting undressed. She didn't understand what there was to be so nervous about. Every night for the past week, they had made love. Perhaps it was just the idea of someone catching them that had her so frazzled. Her mind was suddenly distracted as she felt warm hands wrapped around her waist. With the two of them completely undressed, Arnold whispered to her, "I'm sorry I couldn't protect you."

Helga immediately turned around to look at Arnold. She kissed his lips, that tasted as sweet as he was. He began to pull out her hair ties, as he watched her golden locks wave gently across her face. Not letting go of her lips, he reached over to check the temperature of the water. As he felt the steam from the shower rising, he pulled away from her to say, "I think we can get in now."

She was already _in with him_ in her own mind, as she began to blush and said, "Okay." He helped her step in, as she felt the rush of hot water pour on her skin. It was nothing compared to the avalanche of water that smoothed out his two broad fields of hair. Steam poured from behind him, as she stood there, not knowing what was keeping herself from melting along with it.

He reached behind her, not thinking about her blank stare. He returned in front of her with a bar of soap and a bottle of Aveda Shampoo. Looking into her wide blue eyes, he handed her the shampoo and suggested, "I'll wash your body while you wash my hair."

Not receiving a response from her, he poured the shampoo into her hands, as he rubbed the soap across her breasts. After setting the bottle down, he pulled her face close to kiss her. Melting into his mouth, as well as the moment, she began running her fingers through his hair. As he ran the soap over her, front and back, she scrubbed his head tighter. Making sure to run her fingers through each strand of hair she could find.

When he let her lips loose, she rested her head against his. Breathing in the intoxicating aroma of the shampoo she had always been hypnotized by. Her eyes opened when he began rubbing his soapy hands along her private area. Her heart leapt with joy and a tingling sensation scattered throughout her body. When he was finished, Arnold pulled her head off his to whisper in her ear, "Ready to switch sides?"

She gulped as he stepped out of the way of the hot water, so she could rinse the soap off her body. He then handed the soap over to her, and poured himself some shampoo to do her hair.

When she was barely able to make herself speak, she asked, "One..one.. Question?"

He kept a smile on his face as he asked, "What is it?"

"Umm… how are you going to reach my hair?" she asked, trying not to ruin the moment.

Giving her a puzzled look he asked, "What do you mean? I'm your height now?"

She couldn't see that however. She stood there thinking back to when they were kids, and the boy she fell in love with. Not being able to remove that image from her mind, she replied, "No...I'm pretty sure I'm still taller."

Not wanting to upset her, or ruin the moment anymore than she did, he replied. "Hmmmm…. How about you sit down, while I stand beside you and wash your hair? You can do my body afterwards." He winked at her.

Nearly fainting after hearing that, she slowly sat down in front of him. As she faced the wall, she could feel his shampoo filled hands running through her long silky hair. She sat there with her eyes closed, focusing on the insanity of it all. Never had she thought they would end up together. Now here she was, sitting in his steam filled shower, with his moisturizing hands working wonders on her tender scalp. Even in the hot shower, chills took over her body as she then felt his soapy hands travel from her hair, to her shoulders, around her breasts. He rubbed them softly with his cleansing hands, until he moved back up alongside her shoulders to her hair. As she was on the vurge of passing out from a combination of relaxation and denial that this could be reality, there was a whisper in her ear, "I think I'm done now."

She opened her eyes and turned as he helped her to stand under the hot water. He watched her scrub the soap from her hair, entranced by the suds that fell along each lovely part of her body. When she finished washing it out, he handed her the soap and said, "Guess there's just one thing left to do." winking at her.

Her hand trembled as he placed the soap in it. She began running it up and down his arms, then all along his front side. As she was doing this, an electric shock filled his body. Butterflies were gathering in his stomach, as she neared his lower region with the soap. It was then, he pulled her in and kissed her passionately. She began to lose focus scrubbing him, as he pressed their parts together. Before they knew it, she was on top of him on the shower floor. Both of them were too wrapped up in each other, emotionally as well as physically, to notice how cold the water was getting.

When he finally released their lips for oxygen, Helga looked down at his entrancing eyes. "Ar..Arnold"

Forgetting for a minute where they even were, only thinking of her, he responded, "Yes, Helga?"

"I think we're clean now." she pointed out.

He then stopped to consider how cold the water was beginning to feel, and noticed the goosebumps forming on her skin. Taking one last look at her beautiful drenched body, he began to sit up. "You're right. Let's get out." he said.

She stepped off him to turn off the faucet, as he stepped out to grab their towels. No sooner had she turned around, he was standing in front of her, ready to wrap a warm towel around her. As he dried her off from head to toe, the chills from the cold air that ran up their spines could not outweigh the warmth from the love each of them felt from the other.

"I can't put those dirty clothes back on, so I'll step out first. You're welcome to redress before coming back to the room, or just wait until I've been gone a few minutes." he suggested, as he kissed her head.

Helga sat alone in the bathroom with hair towel pulled up over her chest. She thought about how much the love she felt for Arnold had progressed over the past week, not knowing it could advance anymore than it was when they were kids. While the secret love she felt for him as kids was utterly romantic, the open-heated relationship she now shared with him was utterly relieving. No longer was she torn between hiding her passion behind her reputation; her mind was at last at peace.

After a few moments of considering how lucky she was to have reached a new point in her love life, she headed for his room. Hearing someone approaching the end of the hallway, she moved quickly toward his door. Just as she began to turn the knob, she heard, "Hey Shortman's girlfriend! Having some wet fun with a certain someone?" Phil winked at her.

Helga's face turned bright red, as she put a hand behind her head. "What do you mean?"

"Well we wouldn't want Arnold slipping and hurting himself in the shower, now would we?" Phil laughed, not caring about what might have happened in there, as he turned and walked away. Helga quickly raced inside before anyone else caught her.

Arnold smiled at her as he saw her enter the room, listening to her say. "Well, you were right about your grandpa!"

His face dropped as he asked, "Did he catch you coming out?"

"Worse! He knew we were in there together! AND he joked about me being in there to protect you?" she scowled.

Arnold shrugged his shoulders as he said, "Well, at least he wasn't upset. He's pretty lenient about that sort of thing. My parents wouldn't have been so forgiving. They also wouldn't have been as suspicious as him however. It's kind of a win lose situation."

She rolled her eyes as she said, "Oh well, as long as he can keep a secret, no harm done I guess."

He walked over to her, kissing her softly as she was still wrapped up in her towel. He held his hand against her wet hair, picturing running his hands through it. After he was through sending shivers through both their bodies with his tongue, he said to her, "Go put on you pajamas. You must be freezing!"

She walked over to the bed to replace her towel with her nightgown. Even after drying off, they were too cold to sleep naked that night. He crawled into bed next to her, as the two of them got into their usual sleeping positions. She set the clock for the next day, while he turned out the lamp. Before passing out, he ran his fingers through her wet hair once more and said, "I love you so much, Helga."


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Is It True?

The next morning, they awoke on time. Helga slowly batted her eyelashes as she heard, "Hey Arnold! Hey Arnold! Hey Arnold!" She rolled over to see Arnold still sleeping peacefully. Thinking to herself _Going to the gym, and then the 'extra workout' in the shower must have really worn him out!_ She nudged him as he let out a sweet sigh. When he still resisted to open his eyes, she leaned over to kiss him. He awoke to see the sweetest set of eyes laying before him, as he laid there thinking to himself _Could this moment not last forever?_

When Helga sat up, she smiled and said, "Come on football head! We can't be late for school again. I just barely made it on time for class yesterday!"

Knowing it to be true, he finally sat up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. The two of them got dressed, then headed downstairs to the kitchen. They walked in to see Phil was sitting at the table with his newspaper while Pookey was making some pancakes for everybody.

"Hey grandpa! Hey grandma!" Arnold waved, as he and Helga sat down with them.

"Hey there you two! You're actually joining us this morning?" Phil said surprised.

Arnold looked at him, placing his napkin on his lap and said, "Yeah, we're not running late this morning."

"Guess you got quite an appetite too… after that shower the two of you took last night!" Phil winked at Helga, making her blush terribly as he nudged Arnold's arm.

"Grandpa!" Arnold screamed in embarrassment as Helga buried her hands in her face. Wondering if she was too quick to give up her reputation.

"Oh, lighten up shortman! She lives her now. You two share the same room. How dumb do you think we are?" Phil asked as Arnold shrugged his shoulders, wishing his grandma would hurry up with the pancakes.

Helga looked in the opposite direction of the two men she was sitting at the table with; waiting anxiously for the food to arrive.

"Eat up Tex, Slim, and Eleanor!" Pookey said, placing a plate of pancakes in front of the three of them.

While Arnold sat there full of shame, Helga's anger decreased with every bite she took. It turned out Phil was right; she had worked up quite an appetite. When her plate was clear, she pushed it aside and asked, "You almost finished there Tex?" wittingly.

Arnold gave her a questioning look, wondering how she had gotten over her embarrassment so quickly. "Uhh yeah. Let's just go ahead and go. Thanks grandma. See you later grandpa!"

The two of them walked out the door; Helga at the point, not even caring about the animals racing past her. She took Arnold's hand once they made it down his stoop, and began heading for the bus stop. As he noticed she willing took his hand, he couldn't help but question how quiet she was. "I'm...I'm really...really sorry about what my grandpa said back there Helga. He was just messing around."

She turned her head the other way slightly, trying to hide her excessive blushing. "Don't worry about it football head. Like he said, we're sharing the same bedroom. They had to expect something to be going on between us by now."

Arnold smiled as he began rubbing her hand. _What had he done to deserve her?_

As they made it to the bus stop, she said, "So, I never did ask you how the gym was?"

Looking up at her with anticipation to move on from the awkwardness his grandpa had created for them that morning, he responded, "It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. The place doesn't look any different than it did when we were kids."

Helga rolled her eyes, with one hand on her hip as she said, "Pttss...there's a shocker!"

"Gerald and I lifted weights, did push ups, sit ups, you know… the usual." he said, not expecting a big reaction.

"Well then, he should have the class bowing down to him by Friday. I'm sure they've already got his Class President Crown ready!" she said, giving Arnold a witty facial expression.

He shook his head at her unsurprising wittiness as he said, "Whatever you say, Helga."

It was then, the bus pulled up. The two of them walked on, still holding hands, taking their usual seat up at the front. The whispering and gossip had begun to die down… at least, about their relationship.

Arnold wrapped his arm around her, as she leaned towards up against him. It broke their hearts, the only time they had to spend together during the day was lunch. Just before leaning his head on top of hers, he thought to say, "You know, we never did see that movie. Would you like to go tonight?"

She turned around to face him. It was as though they had reached a point in their relationship where the other one was the only thing visible when a decision was being made. If they were speaking to their loved one, no one or nothing else mattered at the moment. Looking at him with half lidded eyes, and a stomach full of butterflies, she answered, "Only if we get ice cream after."

Losing himself in her angelic facial expression, he put a hand to her face and answered, "I wouldn't have it any other way." The two of them then leaned into each other for a kiss. As their tongues tangles, he held onto her face, reliving the magic they had experienced the previous night. She placed a hand on his thigh, gently massaging it. Feeling even more comfortability than she had felt with him in the cafeteria.

Suddenly the magic in their heartfelt connection was broken, as a well known face appeared.

"Hello Arnold! Hello Helga!"

The two of them pulled away from each other, as they tried to hide their panting.

As Helga began to blush heavily for the third time that morning, Arnold's eyes grew wide when he answered, "Oh, he-hey Amanda. What's going on?"

"I just heard the oh so terrible news about Matt! Did you really punch him Arnold?" Amanda asked curiously.

"What? No! I mean…" Arnold responded fearfully. He didn't want to get Helga into trouble, but how could he continue letting the other students think he had done such an awful thing?

"Word around the school is you punched him when you saw him talking ever so nicely to Helga." Amanda explained.

Helga saw the petrified look on Arnold's face, and decided to step in. "Relax Mrs. Goody two shoes, it was me!"

Talk on the bus grew to sound like the cafeteria as Amanda asked, "Why ever would you do it Helga? Aren't you two going out?"

Helga rolled her eyes at Amanda's cluelessness, while not being able to help smiling at the memory of punching Matt. "Why would I waste my time with a sap like him? I punched him because the lame brain kept trying to feel me up!"

Talk about the fight turned to laughter, as Helga began revealing information. Arnold sat there, hoping this wouldn't ruin the progress they had made in their relationship.

"Why ever would Matt do such a thing?" Amanda asked in disbelief.

Helga scowled in annoyance, "I don't know! I'm not the kid's therapist! All I know is, he'll think twice before messing with Helga G. Pataki again!"

Pulling out his virtuous side, Arnold asked, "Do you think he's going to be alright?"

Helga shrugged her shoulders, implying she could care less, as Amanda answered. "I heard he's in the ICU. When he recovers, they said he's likely to transfer to a new school."

Arnold's eyes grew with guilt as Helga answered, "Good! One less loser to worry about."

An awkward silence then occurred as Helga turned away from Amanda, implying she had nothing left to say regarding the matter. Arnold rubbed the back of his neck as he said, "Umm well, thanks for letting us know, Amanda."

"You're just ever so welcome!" she said, as Arnold waved goodbye, while Helga kept her arms crossed, looking in the opposite direction.

Seeing the frustrated look she was carrying on her face, he laid her head down on his shoulder and said, "Thanks for telling her what really happened."

Helga's face softened at his kind words, making her want to squeeze him tight. No sooner had he thanked her, the bus arrived at their school. Rather than wait to be the last ones off the bus, Helga sat up off Arnold, and the two of them headed out the door.

They held hands walking through the school yard, Arnold looking anxious about what other rumors may have been spread. Helga simply stared at the sidewalk, wondering if she would ever be given a break. This was high school. Showing she still possessed her reputation didn't mean the other kids still weren't going to talk about her behind her back, if they were given the opportunity.

Making it inside, Arnold walked Helga all the way to her classroom. "I guess I'll see you at lunch." he sighed, seeing something was obviously upsetting her.

"See ya football head." she responded, as she kissed him on the cheek before turning to class. His face melted as he put a hand to his cheek, where her sweet lips had been.

Helga took her seat in the classroom, thinking about what had happened the previous day. _Was it wrong that I stood up for Arnold? Matt was threatening him; what I did was an act of defense. Even when he kissed me, when I refused to fight back, people spoke of it. I guess if there's a story, it's just going to get passed around._

The teacher suddenly walked in and handed back their graded poems they had presented to the class. Helga looked down at the topic she had chosen, _insensitive._

She thought about the meaning behind the word: heartless; thoughtless; feeling no concern for others. Tears were brought to her eyes when she related this to the fact that she had no concern for how badly Matt was hurt… or if he was even alive. Did her desire for a tough attitude really cause her to be that careless?

The bell rang for lunch that afternoon, and Arnold met Gerald in the hallway to head towards the cafeteria.

"So, that was another lovely show you and Pataki put on on the bus for everyone this morning!" Gerald said, glaring at Arnold.

Arnold began to blush, rubbing the back of his neck as he answered, "Oh yeah, well we've just gotten really close...and she's my girlfriend...and ya know."

"I was actually referring to the scene Amanda started about the fight you and your girlfriend started with Matt. I try to turn my head the other way when you two are 'getting busy.'" Gerald pointed out.

"Oh that. I don't know exactly how many kids saw us. I just know Helga's not going to like it if too many rumors get spread around." Arnold replied, looking down at the floor.

"Well, the kids have seen her sensitive and vulnerable. They've seen her heartless and demanding. What more could she give them to talk about?" Gerald shrugged his shoulders.

The two of them entered the cafeteria as they saw Phoebe sitting alone at a table. Gerald greeted Phoebe when they approached the table, while Arnold's first question was, "Where's Helga, Phoebe?"

"Gosh, I don't know? I assumed she was with you." Phoebe responded with a concerned look.

Arnold felt his body stiffen and chest tighten. He began looking every which way of the cafeteria for Helga. After having no such luck, he ran out, as Gerald turned to say to Phoebe, "Just buying for you and me again babe!"

As Arnold ran through the halls, he spotted Helga just as he was about to pass by the restrooms. Entering the hall, she appeared to have puffy eyes that had been wiped excessively, and a red nose that had been blown profusely.

He cried out her name, not wanting her to get away, "HELGA! HELGA!"

She turned to see him, as he grabbed her hand before she could even consider moving.

"Helga! Where were you? Are you alright?" Arnold asked, trying to catch his breath.

"Sheesh Arnoldo, I was just using the restroom!" she scowled, taking her hand back from him.

Arnold was about to see the over-reaction he had created, until he noticed how swollen her face appeared. Not wanting to upset her more, he asked, "Is anything wrong?"

Hiding her feelings as usual, she simply said, "Nope! Now let's go make Geraldo buy me a sandwich!"

Not letting her run off that quickly, he grabbed her hand, waiting for her to turn around. As he stood there holding it, he looked at the tired facial expression her swollen cheeks gave off. Knowing someone had hurt her, hurt him just as much… if not more.

"What are you waiting for Arnoldo?!" she scowled, as she watched him standing there, just holding her hand.

He gave her a serious look while rubbing her smooth skin and said, "I want you to tell me why you were crying in there."

Her eyes filled with fear. Enough guilt was brought from reading the poem. She didn't want to have to deal with the pain of explaining her feelings about herself to Arnold, after the trouble she had put him through with their relationship the past week.

"I told you, I'm fine hairboy! Now let's go!" she demanded.

"I'm not leaving this spot until you tell me what's bothering you, Helga!" he insisted, firmly planting his feet.

"Arnold! We can talk about it later!" Helga insisted as she struggled to get away. When doing so, a piece of paper fell out of her pocket. The two of them anxiously reached for it, but Arnold was quicker. He opened it up to see it was the poem she had turned it the previous week.

"It's your poem? Is this why you were crying?" he asked confused.

She looked away with her arms crossed and replied, "No! What a dumb question!"

"Helga, why are you crying about this? I told you NONE of this is true about you!" he nearly began to shout, as he shook with rage; wondering what it would take to make her see how amazing she truly was.

Although she wouldn't look him in the eye, he could see tears starting to pour from her eyes, streaming down her cheeks. Turning her face towards his, he said, "Please tell me what's wrong."

Looking into his pleading eyes, she wiped her face and said, "When we were given these back, it just made me think about Matt. It made me think about how I didn't care one bit what happened to him after I punched him. You love me so much, but were still concerned about the person who tried to hurt me. I showed no empathy for him whatsoever." she said, trying to hold back her sobs, as Arnold held her hand.

"We were just put on the spot this morning, so asking about him seemed like the right thing to do. I didn't do it because I care about him. I don't ever want him coming near you again." he reassured her, squeezing her hand tighter, leaning in closer, as if to make sure his point was made.

When her last tear had fallen, he wiped her face and kissed her. "Let's go to the cafeteria. I'll get us a sandwich to split." Arnold suggested, holding out his hand to lead her there.

Back in the cafeteria, Gerald had returned to the table with salads for both him and Phoebe. Bringing back the memories from yesterday's lunch, he didn't know why he bothered to get himself one. Phoebe dove right in as he picked around his, thinking about the speech he would be giving Friday.

"Why so quiet Gerald?" Phoebe wondered.

He sighed as he pushed away his plate of greens and said, "I was just thinking about the speech I'll be giving Friday."

"Well, if what Amanda was saying on the bus this morning was true, you may not have to worry about it." Phoebe pointed out as Gerald lifted his eyebrows. "What are you talking about?"

"If Matt really is currently injured, and will eventually be transferring to another school, the idea of him running for the position seems in any way useless." she assured him.

With that, Gerald's mind was at peace, and his stomach felt settled for the first time in weeks. It was at that moment, that Arnold and Helga approached the table.

"Hey guys!" Arnold waved as Helga sat down, hoping they wouldn't notice the redness of her face.

"I'm going to get that sandwich. Be right back!" Arnold reassured her, as he tilted her head back to give her a quick kiss.

While Gerald was filled with too much relief to notice anything, Phoebe couldn't help but overhear Helga beginning to sniffle.

"Is everything okay Helga?" she asked, full of concern.

"Oh yeah Pheebs, I'm fine." Helga said quickly, tugging at her shirt.

A few minutes later, Arnold returned with a club sandwich and two yahoo sodas for them. "I got your 'extra chewy' bacon sandwich right here" he said, winking at Helga.

"Oh brother! Just because you can't pick a decent sandwich, doesn't give you the right to criticize my chewing." she scowled as she snatched it away from him.

"So, where were you two man?" Gerald asked.

While still having a mouth full, Arnold managed to see the concerned look in Helga's eyes.

"Oh, um Helga was just in the restroom. She didn't get a chance to go before class, because she had to stop by her locker." Arnold rubbed his hands together, as he noticed the tension drop from Helga's shoulders.

Making it to the end of the sandwich, Helga was struggling with the bacon. Arnold watched her put the end of the sandwich into her mouth, as the last strip of bacon hung over the edge of her lips. Her teeth clinched profusely, trying to break it off.

Arnold smiled at her until finally he said, "Let me help you with that." As he put his lips over hers, he bit off the bacon.

Gerald looked up and said, "I'm glad I decided not to eat!"

By that point, they had learned to let Gerald's disgusted remarks about the nature of the relationship fly in one ear and out the other.

The bell rang just as they were finishing up their drinks. Arnold helped Helga out of her seat as he stared lovingly into her eyes. "I'll meet you out front after school."

"Sounds good, football head!" she said, waving goodbye to him.

Gerald walked over to Arnold as Phoebe left the cafeteria. "Well Arnold, ready to get the rest of the day over with?"

"You bet!" he exclaimed, thinking about the plans he had with Helga that night.

"So, now that the girls are gone, what were you REALLY doing the ten minutes you two disappeared?" Gerald asked suspiciously.

"It's nothing Gerald." he insisted.

"That means it's something Arnold." Gerald pressured him.

"Fine, Helga was crying in the bathroom about what happened on the bus this morning." Arnold sighed, as he came clean.

"Crying? What for? She seemed thrilled being able to tell Amanda off like that!" Gerald asked.

"I told you about the personality trait poem she had to do last week didn't I?" Arnold sighed as Gerald lifted his eyebrow. "You may have mentioned it once or twice."

"Well, the trait she chose for herself was insensitive." Arnold reminded Gerald, as his heart sank just thinking about the idea of Helga ever thinking about herself that way.

Gerald tried to hold back his laughter as he asked, "Don't you find it a bit ironic that she was crying about being insensitive?"

Arnold rolled his eyes as he said, "Gerald!"

"Okay I'm sorry man. So, what got her so worked up about it?" he wondered.

"She said it made her think about how she showed no concern for what happened to Matt after punching him." Arnold rubbed the back of his neck, as he went on.

"Well, physical violence and sensitivity don't really go together. She had to pick one or the other." Gerald pointed out.

"Yeah, I guess so. Well here's my class. See you later." Arnold said, as the two did their secret handshake.

"Later man!" Gerald responded enthusiastically, as the two went their separate ways.

As usual, Arnold was daydreaming in class about his night with Helga. His head was in the clouds, thinking about the extraordinary of her complex personality. Hiding her anger held her back from revealing her passion. Yet, revealing her anger, brought forward guilt about her insensitivity… the trait her said to be 'proud of' reputation was based around.

While his mind was pondering these thoughts, he was suddenly interrupted…

"Arnold! Arnold! Mr. Shortman!"

Arnold shook his head to see his teacher trying to ask him a question about linear functions.

"Huh? Oh, I'm sorry Sir. I.. I.. was" he began, until the teacher finished for him.

"If you had been paying attention, you would have heard me ask you, 'When is the slope of the line negative?'"

Arnold looked up at the board to see the divided functional problem which had been set up. However, the closest thing coming to his mind was Helga's split personality. As the teacher watched him stare at the board continuously, he eventually interrupted to say… "Well I hope you'll be ready for our test next week Mr. Shortman!"

Arnold began to blush as he answered, "Yes, sir! I will be!" As the teacher walked away, the bell rang, and Arnold raced out of school to find Helga.

When opening the doors to the front of the school, he noticed her sitting at the bottom of the steps with her backpack, flipping through her phone. With a concerned look on his face, he sat down beside her and asked, "Helga? Is everything okay?"

She looked over as she rolled her eyes at him to say, "You're never going to drop this paranoia crap are you football head?"

Hoping not to upset her, he said softly, yet with a proud smile on his face, "Hey, if you can act however you want, so can I."

She shrugged her shoulders at him thinking for a moment, until she responded, "Fair deal." The two leaned in for a short, sweet kiss. After doing so, Arnold smiling at her, rubbing the back of his neck and asked, "So, what WERE you doing, exactly?"

"Looking up the times for the movies. The best way to see a scary movie seems to be later in the evening, and I don't know about you, but that is NOT when I like to save my homework for. Therefore, I figured we can go home, do our homework, see the movie at seven, then go to Slaucen's afterwards. Sound good?" she suggested, as if she was giving him a choice in the matter.

He put his hand on hers as she held her phone, looked into her eyes and said, "Sounds great!"

Trying not to blush, she scowled, "Save the romance for the movie, football head!" With that, she stood, helped him to his feet, and the two of them headed back to his place.

Anxiously awaiting her night with her beloved, she asked "So, did Geraldo and Pheebs want to join us tonight?"

Arnold turned to look at the clouds, thinking if it would be a good idea to invite them. "To be honest, I don't know how Gerald is feeling right now. I'm sure he's got the election in the bag, what with Matt almost guaranteed gone. However, they may be getting him prepared, in case the worst should happen?"

"You just can't help but overthink everything can you, football head? I'll text Pheebs and see if they want to meet us there at seven." Helga said.

Arnold took her hand, smiling once again at the mood shift she'd had. One minute she was being sensitive about hurting someone, the next, she had no problem with making everyone else's decisions for them. "You can tell them if they would care to join us, I'll pick everyone up in the Packard again."

"Sounds good!" she said, as she began to text Phoebe.

Phoebe had just made it to Gerald's place, when she received Helga's text message.

"Pheebs, Arnold and I are seeing Evil Twin 4 at seven, then going to Slaucens afterwards. You and Geraldo want to come?"

Gerald watched her read the message, knowing who it was probably from. "That from Helga?"

He asked, in a melancholy tone.

"Affirmative." she replied.

"She texted to tell you she finally figured out how bacon works?" he asked as a new tone took over his voice.

Phoebe tried holding back her laugh, before she answered, "No, she was asking if we would care to see Evil Twin 4 with her and Arnold at seven tonight."

Gerald pondered the thought until finally he answered, "Well, I guess I do need something to take my mind off this election. There's not a whole lot more I can do to get ready for it."

She smiled at him as she replied, "Sounds great! Should we meet you at the theater?"

"Meet us at Arnold's at 6:30. We'll drive there together." Helga answered, as the two finished their conversation.

Arnold looked over at her, still holding her hand, as he asked anxiously, "So are they coming?"

"Yeah, they're going to meet us here at 6:30." she replied confidently, just as they made it to the boarding house. The pets poured out upon opening the door as Helga said, "You have got to get a side door for them!"

Arnold rolled his eyes at her sarcasm as the two walked in to find Phil. Not seeing him in the kitchen or living room, Arnold said, "I think I know where he is."

They headed up the stairs toward Arnold's room, just as Phil was coming out of the bathroom. Looking at the two teens, he said to them, "Don't go in there for awhile." Arnold blushed looking at Helga, as she rolled her eyes and said, "Wouldn't dream of it."

"Hey grandpa!" he said, moving on.

"Hey shortman! How was school? Your girlfriend knock anyone out for you?" Phil asked, winking at the two of them.

Helga looked away, rubbing her arm as Arnold rolled his eyes and said, "Uh no. Do you think we could use the Packard again? We're taking our friends to a movie."

Phil's eyes widened as he said, "Oh sorry shortman! Your parents are going out with Eduardo. He's taking them to see the new Rainforest exhibit at the City Botanical Gardens!"

"It stays open that late?" Helga muttered

"Apparently so. Sorry shortman." Phil patted his head, as he headed downstairs and the two teens headed upstairs to Arnold's bedroom.

"Sorry Helga." Arnold turned to look at her with sorrowful eyes.

"We could take a cab. I don't know if we'd have enough money for that, the movie, and the ice cream however?" she began thinking out loud.

"Probably not. If it's okay with Gerald and Phoebe, we could skip the ice cream. Then we'd probably have enough money to do it.

"Or we could just pig out at the theater. See if Tall Hair Boy can resist temptation two days before his big speech!" Helga gave an evil laugh.

Arnold rolled his eyes as he tried not to smile, opening the door to his bedroom.

Helga happily walked in, and sat on his bed to text Phoebe.

She was sitting on the couch with Gerald, listening to him contemplate how Friday would turn out when she suddenly heard her phone beep. Gerald was too distracted by what Friday would bring to care to guess who it was this time.

"Hey Pheebs, change in plans. Be here by six. We're still seeing the movie, but we're taking a cab. We can't get the car from Phil."'

Phoebe put her phone back down to look at Gerald and asked, "Will you be ready to be there by six? We have to take a cab with them."

Gerald just rubbed his eyes as he said, "Sure babe. Just let me rest my eyes."

Meanwhile, Arnold was sitting beside Helga on the bed, looking at his Calculus notes. As she noticed the troubled look on his face, she looked up and said, "What are you working on?"

"I haven't been doing too well in Calculus, and we have a test next week. I'm just a little nervous is all." Arnold explained to her.

"Gotcha. I'm sure you'll do fine. What's been giving you trouble?" she couldn't help but ask.

Arnold rubbed his shoulder looking away from her, as he replied, "It's...it's...nothing. I've just been having trouble concentrating."

She lifted part of her eyebrow and asked, "So, something's been on your mind?"

"Well… kind of." he hesitated, moving his hand to the back of his head.

"Well...are you going to say it while we're young?" she asked, with an irritated look on her face.

He rolled his eyes at her remark and said, "It really is nothing."

She sighed as she responded, "It's obviously something if you've had this much trouble concentrating in class! Now spit it out!"

Not being able to help but give in to her aggressive behavior, he replied, "It's...you."

Her heart stopped, wondering where he could be going with this. "Me?"

He finally looked up at her, as he admitted, "Yeah, I've been thinking about you every day in there."

Fighting every urge to keep her voice from shaking, she asked "Are you saying you're having second thoughts about us?" as her lips began to tremble.

He leapt over their notebooks, pushing them to the floor. Grabbing her hand while she began to look away, he said, "OF COURSE NOT! Why would you ever think that?"

She gave him a confused look as she asked, "Well then, what other reason would you have to be this distracted?"

He moved closer to her, giving her a long passionate kiss. He put his hand behind her head as he pulled her in as tight as possible. Doing all he could to express his love for her, he could sense a side of doubt on her end. When he let go of her, he looked into her sad eyes and said, "Every day I think about how amazing your split personality is. It breaks my heart not knowing how to keep you happy one hundred percent of the time. All I can think about during my last class is how anxious I am to see you, and how happy I will be when I do!"

A chill ran through her body as she leaned in to kiss him. When there lips barely met, a thought came across her mind, as she asked, "So… does the fact that you don't always know what to expect from my attitude really stress you out that much?"

He began to run his hands up her shirt, as she put her hands on his, not feeling as into it as him. Instead, she laced her fingers with him and said, "I love you more than anything, but I don't want to be the cause of your suffering."

She began to get up from his bed, but he wouldn't let her leave. He pulled her back on to kiss her. Regretting revealing that information flew through his mind as their lips remained pressed, while all she could think about was what type of mixed emotions her mixed personality may be causing him to experience. When they pulled away from each other, she looked at him with her beautiful blue eyes and said, "I'm not sure I feel like seeing a movie tonight."

A tightness filled his chest as he couldn't help but say, "What are you talking about?"

She looked away and said, "I...I… just need to talk to Phoebe. Besides, we don't need to spend all that money on a cab. You can have the night to study."

Arnold kissed her again as she tried not letting anything he said get to her.

"I'm going to text Phoebe. The two of us can go get some ice cream. You stay here and try not to think about me." she insisted.

Arnold's heart shattered hearing her say those words _try not to think about me._ "Helga! Wait!"

Looking at him with annoyed eyes, she said, "Arnold, I just need to talk to Phoebe, and you need to study. Geraldo's probably not in the mood for a movie anyway with his 'big day' approaching. We'll save it for this weekend."

With that, she left to go sit on the porch and text her friend, as Arnold sat on his bed with his notes, heartbroken. Was she going to break up with him? Did he make her believe he didn't love her? Did she now think she was more trouble for him than she was worth? All of this sure wasn't going to keep his mind focused on his Calculus.

Out on the front stoop, Helga texted Phoebe. Phoebe received the text as Gerald was passed out across her lap.

"Hey Pheebs, another change in plans. Instead of seeing a movie, can you just meet me at Slaucens alone? I'll explain everything there."

Phoebe looked down, thinking about how happy this would probably make Gerald. All she had to do was somehow move him off her without waking him up. Luckily he was so far gone, it was like she never even budged him.

"Meeting!"

As Helga received Phoebe's response, she began walking toward the ice cream parlor. Arnold looked down through his window, sadly watching her walk away from him until she was no longer in sight.

The two friends met each other at the perfect time. "Hey Pheebs, nice timing!" Phoebe nodded her head as she asked, "So what made you and Arnold decide to skip the movie?"

"Let's get the ice cream first, then I'll explain." Helga suggest, as Phoebe walked to the counter.

"Welcome to Slaucens, would you like to try our new banana nut milkshake?" the cashier asked.

Helga gave a disgusted look as she replied, "No, I'll have an extra large tripple chocolate shake, two cherries, and don't skip on the whipped cream! She'll just have a scoop of vanilla ice cream."

The cashier rang up their order, and within less than a minute, handed them their treats.

They chose a table near the back of the restaurant; Helga never liked revealing personal information in public. Whether she knew the people or not.

"So, are you and Arnold doing okay?" Phoebe questioned anxiously.

"I don't know Pheebs. I'm assuming Geraldo told you about what Arnold and I were talking about what happened today in the hall. If I know football head, he ended up telling his buddy as soon as they left the cafeteria." Helga sighed.

Phoebe gave a puzzled look and replied, "No, he didn't reveal any information to me."

"Well, when Arnold came to find me, I had been crying about the poem my teacher handed back to me. You know, the one I had to pick a trait about myself to write about." she reminded her.

"Oh goodness, did you do poorly on it?" Phoebe gave a concerned look.

Helga looked away, ashamed to admit her reason for shedding tears. "No, it wasn't anything like that."

"What was it then?" she encouraged Helga to continue.

"Surely you and Geraldo heard on the bus, with the rest of the world, that Amanda girl reveal to the world what happened with me and Matt?" Helga insisted.

Phoebe thought back to the morning as she replied, "Yes, it was quite a moment."

"Well, after thinking about my lack of concern for him after punching his scrawny butt, I realized how insensitive I truly am. Matt threatened to hurt Arnold, yet Arnold found it in his heart to show a speck of sympathy for Matt. All Matt did was feel me up, but I showed no concern for him whatsoever." she explained as her eyes began to water.

Phoebe pushed her ice cream aside as she said, "Helga, you're not insensitive. Some people are just tougher than others. It's also hard to show sympathy for someone who has hurt you in any way. Be it physical or emotional."

"Thanks Pheebs." Helga said smiling.

"So is this why you and Arnold didn't want to see the movie tonight? You seemed so happy on your way back to the cafeteria?" she pointed out.

Sighing once again, she said, "I thought everything had been straightened out by then. However, when we made it back to his place, he opened up his Calculus notes. When I saw him having a hard time concentrating, I had to force him to tell me what the problem was."

"What did it turn out to be?" Phoebe wondered.

"Apparently it's me. I'm all he thinks about in that class, because he's so concerned with making sure he knows how to keep me satisfied twenty-four seven." Helga replied in a depressing voice.

"Well that's sweet!" Phoebe exclaimed.

"Are you kidding? I'm the source of his stress Pheebs! He's practically failing a class, and it's all because he can't overlook the fact that I apparently have a 'split personality'!" she protested in rage.

"You know Helga, lots of people have split personalities, and it doesn't necessarily have to be a bad thing. If one person is nothing but sweet, they won't know how to defend themselves when the time is right. If another person is nothing but aggressive, they can't show empathy for another in their time of need. It's all about knowing the right time to use each trait. You weren't wrong to stand up for yourself and Arnold when Matt was messing with you. As strange as it sounds, it's okay you felt guilty for not feeling guilty about what you did to him." Phoebe began explaining, trying to help her friend see the positive side of this, as Helga began to smile.

"Arnold's just a more sensitive person than you are. He likes helping people, so he's always going to think about what he can do to make you happy...especially now that you're his girlfriend. In grade school, all our friends turned to him for advice in their time of need, because they knew he was always happy to help people with their problems. Now the most important person to him, you, is going to be his number one priority when it comes to that." Phoebe finished explaining as Helga's mind was full of relief.

"Thanks Pheebs. You always know how to help me out!" she thanked her best friend as she began to feel an unpleasantness in her stomach.

Seeing her put her hands around her waist, she asked, "What is it Helga?"

Helga immediately stood up and said, "I have to run to the restroom!"

After not seeing her friend return for nearly twenty minutes, Phoebe decided to follow her into the restroom. "Helga?"

Hearing a vomiting noise, she pressed her ears against the stall and asked, "Helga are you alright?!"

Helga came out looking paler than Phoebe's ice cream. She continued to hold her stomach with her mouth hanging open as Phoebe asked, "Helga, what's going on?"

Helga walked over to the sink, leaning over it with her head hanging low, she shamefully admitted, "There's something else I needed to talk to you about Phoebe."

Back at Arnold's house, he sat there with his notes on his bed, doing all he could to force himself to focus. _How am I supposed to think about math, with Helga walking out like that? I guess the only way to get her to stay is if I can prove I CAN focus on math with her staying? AHH!_

Pulling his head out of the clouds, he put his mind back on the linear equations his teacher was asking him about that day in class. _I should start from the beginning. I have no idea what this is talking about._

Meanwhile, Phoebe had slowly helped her friend back to their table. "So you are pregnant?!" Phoebe exclaimed.

"I don't know. I mean, we just did it last night. I don't know how I could be that soon. All of a sudden I'm nauseous, exceedingly hungry, and over-emotional." Helga conflicted.

Phoebe looked up as she gathered her thoughts, "Hmmm well it's too soon for a pregnancy test. I suppose the sooner you tell Arnold the better. That way if the worst should happen, the two of you can prepare for it."

Helga sighed, pressing her hands against her face. "I guess I have no choice. I don't know about you, but I'm too sick to finish my food."

Phoebe smiled as she replied, "Let's go. I'm sure Arnold's anxious to see you."

Helga laughed, putting her arm around Phoebe as she replied, "I'm sure tall hair boy feels the same about you."

"Oh, Gerald's been asleep for quite some time. All the stress of how things will turn out by the end of the week have been a bit of a struggle for his mind." Phoebe explained.

"Is he sure he can handle class president then?" Helga raised part of her eyebrow as Phoebe tried not to laugh.

The two of them left the ice cream parlor as they headed towards their homes. "Well see you tomorrow Pheebs. Thanks again for the help."

"Anytime Helga" Phoebe said, as she waved goodbye to her friend.

Nearly making it to Arnold's place, Helga passed Big Patty saying goodbye to Harold. As Patty started walking her way, Patty asked, "Hey how's it going?"

"Oh, uh, okay I guess, you?" Helga responded.

Patty looked at her with a calm stare and said, "Okay I guess" then continued walking.

Helga watched her leave, thinking to herself _That was pointless._

Then she realized, she wasn't the only person with conflicted emotions. Sometimes Patty had been known as the school yard bully back at P.S. 118. Then Arnold showed her she had a sensitive side. Patty could act either way when she chose, depending whichever personality she felt would be appropriate for the situation.

Helga would have skipped back to the boarding house, had she not had to worry about her stomach. She opened the door, not caring about the animals. When she opened the door to Arnold's room, she found he had fallen asleep on his bed with his book flat over his face. A smile formed on hers as she thought to herself _It's a pretty amazing thing to have a sensitive boy like him care about an aggressive person like me._

She changed into her clothes as quietly as she could and laid down beside him. As she laid down, he felt something move. He took his book off his head and saw her with a smile hanging over his head. "Helga! Oh my gosh! You came back!" he exclaimed.

She rolled her eyes at his paranoid attitude and said, "Well doi, of course I came back! All my stuff is here!"

Arnold sat all the way up as he grabbed her and said, "Wait! You're not really leaving are you?!"

She sighed and said to him, "No football head, I'm not leaving you."

With more relief in his heart than he'd ever felt before, he pulled her close to kiss her. Not wanting to let her go, she began to pull away from him. "Arnold, there's something I have to tell you."

Ignoring what she had to say, he wrapped his arms around her, squeezing her tight and said, "I had the worst dream!"

Forgetting a moment about her news, she looked into his eyes and asked, "What was it about?"

 _Standing at the end of the aisle with his best man Gerald and groomsmen Sid and Stinky, Arnold waited for his beautiful bride, Helga to appear. This was the long awaited day he had dreamed about. The day that would start a new chapter of a life shared with the girl of his dreams._

 _As he listened to Eugene, the organist, play the familiar music that implied his lovely bride was coming his way, no one entered the aisle. His heart began to pound, until he saw someone appear. Only, it wasn't Helga...it was her maid of honor. Phoebe handed Arnold a note saying,_

' _My dearest Arnold, all my life I have dreamed to be apart of your sensitive heart. All the years of my life, I've filled yours with nothing but strife. I'll end this madness for us both, by leaving with another and giving you hope. Take care my love, you're always in my heart. Love Helga G. Pataki.'_

 _Arnold dropped the note and ran out the church doors to find his beloved. All that was left of her were the memories he shared with her and the note she had left him, to keep dear to his heart._

 _He ran back inside to find Phoebe, as he asked without hesitation, "Phoebe! Where did she say she was going?"_

 _Looking at him with fear in his eyes, she responded, "She didn't say. I only left the room a moment to get her a glass of water. When I came back, all that was left was the note on her bed?"_

 _Arnold fell to the floor on his knees, with his heart sinking lower than him. 'How could she leave me? What could I have done to make this happen?'_

She gave an unamused look as she guessed, "Was it Matt I left you for?"

He answered, "I don't know who it was? Phoebe just handed me a note saying you ran away with another man you fell in love with. I tried to find you, but I never did. Even if it was just in my dreams, it was the worst feeling I've ever experienced!"

She looked at his worried eyes and kissed him on the cheek, feeling his other one with her soft hand. "There's nothing you could find to be or feel worse than that?" she asked.

Arnold removed her hand from his face, not realizing how firm a grip he had on it, and put it next to his heart. "Of course not! I love you Helga!" he exclaimed.

She sighed as she looked away from him and said, "I have to tell you something."

Nearly leaping out of his seat, he turned her face towards his and asked, "Tell me what it is!"

"I won't know for sure until another week or so has gone by, but I'm worried I could be... pregnant." she barely managed to say.

Arnold's eyes lit up as he took her other hand, not knowing what to say at first. Seeing a tear come to her eye, he said, "I guess it's a good thing we skipped the movie. We wouldn't want the kid's first movie to be something that scary." Arnold said wittingly, as he managed to make Helga smile.

She put her arms around him, as he patted her on the back and said, "We'll get through this. Let's just get some sleep for now."

The two of them got under the covers together as he wrapped his arms around her. Looking at her peaceful expression, with her hair spread gently across her face, he whispered in her ear "Thank you so much for coming back to me. I'm so sorry!"

She opened her arms one last time as she heard him whisper these words. He stroked her hair, while she whispered to him, "I could never leave you. You complete me."

He kissed her on the head as he wrapped his arm around her waist. They both closed their eyes and fell asleep together.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12: How Could I Be So Insensitive?

Helga rolled over the next morning as she heard, "Hey Arnold! Hey Arnold! Hey Arnold!" She rolled over to turn it off, with Arnold's arm still around her waist.

"Hey football head, wake up! We got to get to school!" she continued nudging him, until he finally began opening his eyes.

"I had another nightmare." he said in a calm voice.

She rolled her eyes at him and asked, "What was this one about? Your teddy bear leaving you?"

He kept his arm around her waist as she tried to get out of bed. Replying to her sarcastic remark, "Someone tried to wake me up and told me I had to let go of the most beautiful angel in the world."

After turning away to hide her constant blushing, she managed to pull away and said, "Come on! You don't want to have to walk to school do you? I'm not looking for a tardy slip and a an invite to detential hall!"

Knowing she was right, he sat up and began getting dressed as quickly as he could. Putting on his usual plaid shirt and green sweater, he saw Helga putting on a purple sweater with a pink tank top, jeans, and purple flats. To top it off, she wore the pink hair clip he had bought for her in her hair.

As she turned around to face him, he couldn't help but stare at her. Wanting to find the right words to tell her how beautiful she looked, all he could do was drop his jaw. She raised part of her eyebrow and said to him, "If you're that hungry, breakfast is downstairs!"

Snapping out of it, he stuttered as he said to her, "I'm...I'm...sorry. It's just I wasn't expecting to see you look so...so nice."

She rolled her eyes as she smirked, "Oh, so I'm not allowed to look nice anymore? I'm just expected to ACT nice now football head!"

"No! Of course not! I just meant…" he began as she cut him off and held back a laugh.

"Pttss...see you at breakfast."

Letting out a sigh of relief, he couldn't help but glance over at her bag of poetry books. Most of them were pink and purple (being of no surprise to him). Shoving towards the bottom of the bag, he found a black one with a silver title _Tales of My Beloved and I._

Hearing a noise outside in the hallway, he assumed it had to be one of the other boarders. Not wanting to take a chance however, he quickly shoved the book back at the bottom of the bag.

Racing downstairs for breakfast, he found his grandma in her ninja suit handing out pancakes to everyone. Arnold sat beside Helga as he said, "Sorry we're having them again Helga. You never know what my grandma will be in the mood to make. Usually she changes her outfits more than her recipies."

Helga's eyes remained on the food as she smiled and said, "Slap a bib on me and stand back!"

Wanting to place a hand on hers, he could see she had her silverware already in her hands, ready to scarf down her food.

"Well, you two must have taken another shower last night, because she's still got quite an appetite!" Phil winked at Arnold.

"Grandpa!" Arnold exclaimed, not knowing how Helga would respond. She hadn't noticed his remark however, as she waited impatiently for the stack of buttermilk goods to make it across the table to her plate.

When they finally did, she scarfed down her food while Arnold ate only about half of his plate. He couldn't help but look at her and think to himself _What if she really IS pregnant?_

Trying to take his mind off it, Arnold looked at Phil and asked, "So, are mom and dad still asleep grandpa?"

"Afraid so shortman. They had quite an adventure with their buddy last night." Phil responded.

Helga pushed her plate aside as she finished the last bite and said, "Well, we better get going. Wouldn't want to miss the bus."

The two of them grabbed their bags and waved goodbye to everybody. Walking down the street, holding hands together, Arnold noticed Helga grab her stomach. With concerned eyes, he asked, "Are you okay?"

She began to turn pale as she responded, "Fine! Fine! I just shouldn't have eaten those pancakes as quickly as I did."

Although he didn't buy her excuse, he didn't want to pressure her into telling him anything. All he could think to do to comfort her was rub her hand until they made it to the bus stop. Seeing her pain hadn't gotten any better when they arrived, he turned and asked, "Are you sure you can sit through school today?"

"I've missed enough school recently. It doesn't matter how terrible I feel!" she pointed out to him.

Feeling full of guilt, he sighed as the two of them waited for the bus to pull up. When it did, Arnold helped her slowly onto the bus. The kids noticed Helga holding her stomach tightly, but she could care less. All she wanted was to sit as soon as possible.

Arnold wrapped his arm around her, as she laid her head down on his shoulder. Still holding her stomach, she thought to herself, _This can't be good._

When the two made it to school, Arnold walked her to class as always. It looked as though she was beginning to straighten up. Not wanting him to leave her, she turned to kiss him goodbye.

"I'll see you at lunch I guess. Have a good morning." she told him.

As he watched her walk away from him, he could feel the warmth from her lips still pressed against his cheek. Also the worry in his heart about the pain she was going through.

Helga took a seat in her poetry class, relieved the tension from her stomach was no longer there. Just then, the teacher walked in to immediately announce, "Class, settle down! I have a very important announcement! Some of you may have heard about the awful incident that took place between Matt and another student here outside of school yesterday…"

As Helga crouched down in her chair, she prayed he wouldn't point out if was her, if he knew.

"Well, once Matt is released from the hospital, he will be moved to another school."

Helga began to sit back up, full of relief. A bit of sorrow remained in her heart for him, yet she remembered the talk she had with Phoebe the previous day. That being said, she wasn't going to let herself continue to feel guilty about the situation.

"That being said, we can continue with our chapter on unrequited love."

Helga was no longer concerned with this. As familiar as she was with the topic, she knew there was no more special feeling in the world than what she and Arnold shared. The way he made her feel wanted, protected, and even comfortable to be around. The way he put so much effort into making sure every moment of her life was filled with nothing but joy. The way he wanted to accept her for who she is, but didn't want it to mean she would be unhappy that way.

Soon enough the bell rang, and before they knew it, it was lunch time. As Arnold walked with Gerald to the cafeteria, he asked, "So, any news about how the election will turn out?"

Gerald sighed as he looked at the floor and said, "Apparently, the teacher didn't find it fair to just HAND OVER the position to one student. Therefore, the class voted for another candidate to run against me. The speeches will be given next Thursday, and next Friday is when the candidate will be chosen."

Arnold's eyes lit up as he said, "Wow! So, who did the class pick to run against you?"

Gerald couldn't make himself answer. He just continued to stare at the floor, as the two continued to walk to the cafeteria. There they saw Helga and Phoebe sitting together, as Helga had already bought herself a sandwich.

Arnold walked over with a smile on his face and said, "Looks like you're feeling a little better?"

Helga looked up with a mouth full of food and said, "Oh yeah, much better! Especially since there's no bacon on this sandwich!"

Arnold laughed as Gerald sat down beside Phoebe. Phoebe looked over at Gerald, assuming he had already told Arnold everything about the election.

"So, if you'd like me to simply resign, I'd be happy to. I know how much this means to you Gerald." Phoebe asked.

Arnold gave a confused look, as Helga continued her sandwich (having already been told about the situation).

"Wait, does this mean?" Arnold began.

"I'm afraid so Arnold. I was chosen to be Gerald's opponent in the class election." Phoebe finished.

"Wow! I didn't even know you two were taking the class together!" Arnold shrugged, as Helga continued to eat, unamused.

Gerald threw his face into his hands, elbows on the table, as Phoebe patted his back. "Don't worry Gerald, whatever you decide, we'll get through this together."

He smiled at her as he looked up and said, "Thanks babe!"

Arnold wrapped his arm around Helga as she barely noticed, keeping her eyes on her sandwich.

"So, have you made any plans for your speech or flyers yet Phoebe?" Arnold asked, hoping to keep it casual.

"Well, the last thing I want is to make one candidate look more deserving than the other. Gerald said this was a popularity contest. I don't mean to concur with his opinion, but I feel there are some responsibilities which whoever is chosen, will have to take quite seriously." Phoebe explained.

Gerald sat there having second thoughts, but didn't want to make himself look bad by backing out. "Already sounds like too much work for me!"

"Tell you what Gerald, why don't you give Phoebe the night to gather her thoughts and work on whatever she needs to to get her things together. Helga can even help her out if she'd like. You and I can go out and take your mind off of this. At least talk about if it's something YOU would really like to do, or if it's just something you're trying to impress people with." Arnold suggested as everyone looked at him, waiting for his response.

Gerald sat back in his chair and said, "Well, alright. This HAS been driving me crazy!"

The bell rang just as Helga was finishing her sandwich. Arnold looked over at her and said, "Wow! You didn't need help with any of that?"

She scowled as she picked up her bag and said, "No! You got a problem with that?!"

He just smiled as he leaned in to kiss her. As their friends looked away, he responded, "Of course not. See you after school."

She began to blush as she walked away. Gerald and Arnold walked to their classes together, while Arnold tried breaking the silence. "So, you're running against Phoebe? At least it won't be too stressful."

Gerald's eyes lit up, as he turned to scream, "What are you talking about?! That's all it's going to be?!"

Arnold sighed as he responded "Gerald, she's the one person you won't have to worry about trying to humiliate you. It doesn't matter how smart she is, she's going to do everything she can to make you look just as good as her, so the two of you have a fair shot at winning. If I had to pick someone to lose to, I would want it to be my girlfriend. I could at least be happy for her then."

Gerald began to smile at Arnold's advice as he said, "Yeah, I guess you do have a point man. So, what did you want to do tonight? We gonna see that movie?"

Arnold began rubbing the back of his neck, as he responded, "I was actually waiting to see it with Helga. Maybe the four of us could see it together this weekend."

"Mmm..mmm...mmm. Alright, we'll figure something out. I'll meet you at your place after school." Gerald shook his head.

Arnold began to open the door to his Calculus class as he said, "See ya later Gerald."

He took a seat in there, going over his linear equations, as he heard his teacher enter the room and say, "Class don't forget about our test next Friday on chapters 1 - 3"

Arnold laid his head on his hand, leaning against the desk, as he thought to himself _Guess Gerald's not the only one with something big coming up._

When class let out, Arnold went to go find Helga. This time, she wasn't sitting on the steps outside the school doors. As he walked further into the school yard, he noticed a purple sweater out of the corner of his eye. He then turned to see Helga sitting on a bench near the street, struggling to keep her head up.

"Helga?" he asked, running over to her.

"Huh? Oh I'm awake!" she replied, barely able to keep her eyes open.

"You don't look too good. We better get you home." he insisted, as he helped her to her feet.

When the two of them began walking, he noticed her holding her hand to her head. Trying hard not to pry, he couldn't help but ask, "Are you feeling sick again?"

"No, I just started feeling tired all of a sudden. I think I just need to go home and lye down for awhile." she insisted.

As the two of them made it to the boarding house, Arnold did his best to open the door, and keep her out of the way of the swarm of pets he knew would be flying their way.

Managing to do so, he brought her inside to find his grandma chopping watermelon in the kitchen. "Kimba! What have you done to Eleanor?!" she screamed.

"Uhh she's just tired grandma. We're going to my room." Arnold insisted, as Pookey went back to chopping her fruit dinner.

As they made it nearly to his bedroom, Phil came out of the bathroom. "Never eat raspberries kids." Phil said, as he suddenly noticed Helga's dizzy appearance. "What's wrong with your girlfriend shortman? You two take another hot shower?"

"Grandpa! I'm worried about her! I'm going to put her upstairs, and then I need to talk to you." Arnold insisted.

"Hmm...well alright shortman. I'll be in the living room, trying to avoid your grandma." Phil warned him.

As Arnold took her to his room, he helped her lay down on his bed. Taking her shoes off for her, he removed the clip from her hair. He stroked it back gently and asked, "Will you be okay while I'm gone?"

"I'm not a baby… although I may have one inside me." she moaned with depression.

He gave a weak smile as he kissed her forehead and said, "We shouldn't be gone too long. I'll text Phoebe and tell her you're not well enough to go out. Just lay here and get some rest."

By the time he finished his sentence, she was past out. Arnold then texted Phoebe, as she was at home, working on her speech.

"Hey Phoebe, Helga's too tired to go out. I don't think she slept well enough last night."

Phoebe wasn't disappointed; she could get just as much work done on her own.

"Tell her to get plenty of rest."

Arnold smiled at what a kind friend Phoebe always was to Helga. After receiving her response, he went downstairs to find his grandpa. Walking into the living room, he found him sitting in his rocker, reading a book.

"Hey there shortman! So, what's your serious problem?" Phil asked.

Arnold sighed, wondering if he should have said anything. "Grandpa, Helga's not feeling too good."

Phil remained calm and said, "That's what happens when you eat your grandma's cooking...especially as quickly as she does."

"Grandpa! She's had bad stomach cramps, unusual drowsiness, and has been more emotional than usual. All in the past two days? What do you think that could mean?" Arnold asked pleadingly.

"Well shortman, all women act differently. She could be stressed about something, just not sleeping well enough, or if you're really lucky...pregnant!" Phil bumped his grandson's shoulder and winked at him.

Arnold gulped and asked "What if she is? What do I do? Don't you think we're a little young for that?"

"Well it's never too early to learn something new!" Phil said jokingly as Arnold rolled his eyes. Suddenly a knock came to the door.

"Uhh that's Gerald grandpa. I'll see you later." Arnold waved goodbye as Phil smiled and said, "Have a good night shortman!"

Arnold opened the door to see Gerald with a smile on his face. "Well Arnold, ready for a fun night?"

"You seem a lot happier? Is your stress gone?" Arnold asked as Gerald kept a smile on his face.

"I decided you were right. If I have to run against another person, my gal is the best person there could be." he replied.

Smiling at him, he began walking, not sure of where he was leading them.

"So tell me man, what are we doing if we can't see the movie?" Gerald asked.

"I have something to tell you." Arnold looked shamefully at the ground.

"Oh man, this sounds promising." Gerald said sarcastically, as he awaited to hear the big news.

Arnold gulped and revealed the words, "Helga might be pregnant!"

Gerald's jaw dropped further than his eyes lit up. "You did what now?"

"We were taking a shower together after you and I got back from the gym…" he began.

"Well, I know never to go THERE with you again!" Gerald interrupted.

"Gerald! Anyway, we got in, started washing each other. Then the next thing I knew, we were on the floor of the tub on top of each other! It all happened so fast!" he explained.

"I'm never using your bathroom again!" Gerald responded.

"She's been sick ever since! I don't know what to do?" he cried out.

"Okay, calm down buddy! When's the soonest you can find out?" Gerald tried to help his friend.

"Uhhh...don't you have to wait two weeks before you can take one of those tests?" Arnold assumed.

"Yeah... .mmm. Well, hang in there. That's all you can do for now." Gerald suggested.

"I guess so…" Arnold sighed as the two of them continued walking down the street. Suddenly, they passed 'The Crown Jewel.'

Gerald noticed Arnold looking over in it's direction as he asked, "What are you staring at man?"

"That's where Helga got her locket. You know, the one that saved my parents." he responded.

Gerald lifted an eyebrow and asked, "Uh huh, and your point is?"

Arnold began running over there, as Gerald chased after him. He followed Arnold up to the register and asked, "What ARE you doing in here man?"

He shrugged his shoulders at Gerald and said, "Just looking around, what else do we have to do?"

"That's what I've been asking you all afternoon!" Gerald responded irritably.

As he walked through the store, Arnold came across a set of larger, much more expensive rings. He pressed his hands against the glass, his head hanging over them, as he shouted, "Look at these Gerald!"

Sighing at his enthusiasm, Gerald followed him over there just in time to here the cashier say, "Those are some of our finest engagement rings!"

Arnold continued eyeing the rings as Gerald kept a hand on his waist. "Engagement rings? Man now I'm definitely never getting married!"

Continuing to watch Arnold eye the rings, he said, "Arnold! Please don't tell me you're thinking what it looks like you're thinking!"

He sighed and said, "Even if I am, I could never afford something like this Gerald, unless…."

The two of them left the store and headed in the direction of Big Bob's Beepers. Arnold was anxious to arrive, while Gerald followed, wondering what he had up his sleeve.

When they arrived, they once again saw Big Gino and his gang. Arnold walked over to Gino and replied, "I had a feeling I'd find you here."

"Arnold, what a surprise. What can I do for you?" said Gino.

"Listen, normally, I would never think about getting mixed up in your crazy 'business' but I'm desperate." he began as Gino smiled and said, "I'm listening."

"I need to buy an engagement ring for Helga." he began before being interrupted by Gerald.

"What!" Gerald shouted.

"I'm not going to join your mafia however. How about I sell you something of mine, and then I can have the money to buy it for her?" he pleaded.

" ..mmm. I finally calm down, now you're acting crazy!" Gerald exclaimed.

Big Gino looked intrigued as he said, "I have a better idea. You get us the beepers I told you about last time. We'll give you the money for the ring."

"What?" Arnold exclaimed.

"Say what now?" Gerald lifted an eyebrow, not believing what they were doing.

Arnold began to walk away as he said, "Forget it! I'm not a thief!"

"Just think about it Arnold!" Gino called out, as Gerald followed Arnold away from them.

"So, now that you got your head on straight, WHERE exactly are we going?" Gerald asked anxiously.

He sighed as he kicked a can on the ground and said, "I don't know, Gerald."

"Let's just go to the arcade man. It's getting late, and I'd like to do 'something'!" Gerald exclaimed.

"Alright." Arnold sighed as they made their way there.

Once they made it in, Gerald sat down at his favorite game, "Runaway Bus Driver."

"I really don't think you could get a much better time than you've already gotten." Arnold said.

As he watched his friend play the game, it reminded him once again of his night on the FTi building with Helga.

"I think I know how I can get the money Gerald." Arnold exclaimed.

Gerald kept his eyes on the game as he responded, "And how is that?"

"I'm going to the Patakis! Want to come with me?" he invited his friend.

"I'm going to school, want to come with me?" Gerald said sarcastically as Arnold rolled his eyes.

"Fine! I'll see you later." Arnold replied, as he ran down the street to Helga's house.

"He's a bold kid." Gerald muttered to himself, not taking his eyes off the game.

Arnold raced down the block to Helga's house, just as he saw Olga making it inside with some groceries. _I can do this!_ He said to himself.

He slowly marched up their stoop and lightly knocked on the door. Just loud enough that he knew someone could hear.

"Oh goody! A visitor!" he heard Olga screech, as she flung open the door.

Arnold stood there with his hands behind his back, unsure of what to say. Olga at last broke the silence as she said, "Aren't you my baby sister's friend?"

He tugged at his shirt as he replied, "Uh yeah, I'm...Arnold. Could I...I come in?"

She opened the door as he stood there seeing her parents happily watching tv together. _Why does everyone get along so well when Helga is gone?_ He wondered.

"Daddy, we have a visitor!" she exclaimed.

"If it's the pizza guy, tell him the tip's been included." Bob said, keeping his eyes on the t.v.

"No daddy, it's one of Helga's friends." she answered.

Bob immediately turned off the t.v. as he turned around to see Arnold standing there with a petrified look on his face.

"Aren't you that kid from grade school? Alfred?" Bob tried thinking back.

"It's Arnold sir. I was wondering if I could have a word with you about your daughter?" he corrected him.

"Fine! Fine! Have a seat. Make it snappy, I'm missing the wheel." Bob said angrily.

Arnold took a deep breath, holding his hands in his lap. "Mr. Pataki, Helga and I have been seeing each other for awhile now."

"She never mentioned anything." he interrupted as Arnold rolled his eyes at Bob's ignorance.

"Anyway, I'd like to ask her to marry me." Arnold finished as Bob's eyes grew wide.

"A wedding! Oh goody! She can wear my dress!" Olga exclaimed.

Bob stood up and said, "Hold on now, I'm not paying for any stinking wedding!"

Arnold tried backing away as he continued, "Actually sir, what I came to say was…"

"Was what? Spit it out!" Bob grew angrier.

"I wanted to buy her an engagement ring, so I could propose. I know it's not right to just ASK someone for money however. So, if you're willing to give me the money for the ring now, I'd like to offer to work for you on the weekends, as soon as your new store opens." Arnold looked at him with pleading eyes.

"Ohhh...that's so romantic!" Olga replied as tears fell from her eyes.

"Hmmm I don't know. You know anything about sales?" Bob replied.

Thinking as quickly as he could, Arnold replied, "I'm sure you could teach me."

Bob sighed and said. "Alright, but every cent of your checks are coming to me until I get my money back! Now how much does this ring cost?"

Arnold's eyes widened with anticipation as he said, "$300.00"

"Aye! Aye! Aye!" Bob said as he wrote out the check. "Store opens Monday. Be there at four. I'll teach you the basics, and give you your new weekend hours."

"Sounds great! Thank you sir!" Arnold said, running out the door.

Bob rolled his eyes as he looked over at Miriam, "Thanks to that kid, I missed half my show."

She gazed back at him with tired eyes and said, "Whatever… I need a smoothie."

Arnold raced down the street with a smile on his face until he saw 'The Crown Jewel' getting ready to close.

"Wait! Stop!" he cried out, as he saw the owner leaving the store. The owner turned around to see Arnold running over with a desperate look on his face.

"Sorry kid! I'm beat. I'll open up again tomorrow!" the owner sighed.

With a depressing look on his face, Arnold went home to Helga awake on his bed. As she sat there peacefully doing her homework, he tucked the check into his pocket and asked, "Did you get enough rest?"

She looked up from her poetry book as she barely made out his question. "Huh? Oh, yeah, great! So, how was your night with Geraldo?"

"Umm pretty good." He said, as he placed a hand behind his head.

"So where'd you two end up going?" she asked.

"Oh we just went for a walk around the block. He wanted to see Evil Twin 4, but I wanted to wait until you were feeling well enough to go." Arnold smiled.

"Always gotta do the right thing, don't ya football head!" she grinned.

"Of course! So, what have you been studying?" giving her a rhetorical question.

"Just flipping through my poetry book, here. Pretty pointless." she said with a sigh.

Arnold walked over to her bag of poetry books to grab the little black book he had found that morning. "This one doesn't seem so pointless."

Her eyes lit up as she said, "Give me that RIGHT NOW!"

He rolled his eyes at her, still not handing it over. "Are you really still that edgey about me reading your poetry?"

"It's not poetry!" she scowled.

Arnold lowered the book to her level as he asked, "What is it then?"

Snatching it away from him, she held it tight as she said, "They're stories."

He shrugged his shoulders with an unconcerned look as he asked, "What kind of stories."

She gulped, not wanting to look at him, "Stories I made up about me and you."

Putting his arm around her, he insisted, "Well you HAVE to let me read it now!"

As she began to look down at the book, he turned her head toward his. "I would love any story you wrote."

He began to kiss her, as she dropped the book. The two of them laid down as he began to suck her tongue, thinking about the long night he'd had. _What would proposing to her be like? What would it be like working for Big Bob? Could she really be pregnant?_

When he let her go, she handed the book to him.

 _On the day of our wedding, I waited happily in my room for the moment to arrive. It was taking place in castle Mont Saint Michel. I put on my gown, got my makeup done, had my hair styled, everything was set. Then, when the happiest moment of my life was about to arrive, the worst news ever came. 'The groom has been captured!'_

 _I leapt to my feet to ask, 'Who did this?!' "Everyone all of our guests are present. We don't know who it could be?" my best friend informed me. Then, I remembered the one girl I did not invite. The one evil little redheaded devil, whose soul was as dark as her hair._

 _I raced from the chapel to the dungeon where I saw my beloved bound in chains. There in the corner stoody the firey villian, as she said, "He's mine! You'll never take him alive!" I used my ninja training to beat who was elsewhere known as 'Little Miss Perfect.'_

 _After freeing my beloved, he and I made it upstairs in time for the ceremony. As I was going to change into my dress, he said to me, "I want to marry the girl who saved me. Stay just the way you are!"_

As Arnold closed the book, Helga blushed with embarrassment. He wrapped his arm around her, saying sarcastically, "So… I wonder who that Firey redhead could be?"

Nearly shoving him off the bed, she said to him, "Oh shut up Arnoldo!"

Managing to stay on, he wrapped his arm around her, tossing the book aside. A silence took place as the two looked into each others eyes. Breaking it, he asked, "So, did you do anything fun while I was gone?"

Before she could answer, a knock came to the door. "Hey shortman! Your parents saved you both some dinner." Phil shouted.

Arnold looked back at Helga as he asked, "Are you hungry?"

Shrugging her shoulders at him, she said, "Nah, I think I've eaten enough for one day."

"I think we're just going to go to sleep grandpa." Arnold shouted as Phil scratched his head outside the door. "Okay, suit yourself."

The two of them once again fell asleep in each others arms, both filled with anxiety and anticipation. Arnold about proposing to Helga. Helga about finding out if she was pregnant.

Despite their nervousness, which they were able to hide from their loved ones, the two of them fell asleep.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13: I Can't Wait!

The next morning, Arnold heard his name being called. He anxiously turned over to shut off the alarm, as he saw Helga still laying there peacefully. How was he going to plan out this night?

"Helga. It's time to get up." She began to rub her eyes, as she tossed off the covers and said, "Morning Arnold."

He smiled and said, "No insulting nickname?"

"It's still early, you'll get one later." she replied.

"Whatever you say, Helga." he answered, rolling his eyes at her.

The two of them grabbed their clothes as Helga went with a more casual look. She grabbed her pink t-shirt, jeans and tennis shoes. What casual outfit would be complete without her pink bow to go along with it?

Arnold smiled at the way she always managed to surprise him. He never knew what to expect from her.

"See ya downstairs, football head!" she shouted as he thought to himself _There it is._

Following her down there, he saw his grandma passing out bacon and eggs to everyone. Abner came up to the table to smell the bacon. Helga leaned over to Arnold and asked, "Don't you find it a bit awkward that your pig wants some of the bacon?"

He laughed as the two of them ate their breakfast. Arnold noticed his parents in the kitchen, then said to Helga, "I'll be right back. I'm going to say hi to mom and dad."

He ran in and shouted, "Hi mom and dad! How was the rainforest exhibit?!" He asked, skeptical about telling them what had been going on between him and Helga the past few days.

"Hey son, it was great! Sorry we haven't seen much of you! How are you and Helga doing?" Miles asked.

"Umm things are good. We've actually got to get going if we're going to catch the bus. See you tonight!" He raced out as his mom said, "Bye sweetie, have a good day!"

Arnold ran into the dining room to get Helga as she was rolling her eyes at Pookey's cowgirl dance. "Let's go Helga! We can't miss the bus!"

"Gladly!" She smirked.

The two of them walked out holding hands, while Arnold was daydreaming about proposing to Helga that night. _Where's the perfect place to ask her? Gerald field? Mighty Pete? Elk Island? Dino Land? Chez Paris?_

Suddenly, his thoughts were interrupted when he realized Helga wasn't holding her stomach. "Hey, I guess you're feeling alright today?"

"Guess so football head." she responded as the two made it to the bus stop.

Arnold smiled as he rubbed the back of his neck and said, "Helga, I have to stop somewhere after school. Will you be alright walking home alone?"

"No sweat. I can walk home with Pheebs. She'll probably want someone to listen to that speech of hers anyway." Helga said softly.

Arnold turned to kiss her on the cheek just as the bus was pulling up. The two walked on to find someone was sitting in their seat. Seeing as how Helga was feeling perky and full of energy, unlike the day before, she said to Arnold, "Let old betsy and I take care of this."

He rolled his eyes at her unnecessary need to pick a fight and said, "Let's not worry about it. Phoebe and Gerald are sitting near the back. Let's go sit with them."

Helga lowered her fist as she looked at Arnold and said, "Whatever floats your boat football head."

"Hey Arnold! What's up my man?" Gerald said, waving to the two of them.

"Hey Gerald, not much." he answered, as he and Helga took a seat near the two of them.

Helga looked at Phoebe going through her notes and said, "So Pheebs, you need someone to go over your speech with you? Football head's going to be busy for an hour after school."

"That sounds delightful Helga!" she exclaimed, as the bus pulled up to their school.

The four of them walked into school together. Gerald and Phoebe, talking about the election next week, while Arnold and Helga each had their head in the clouds about their own worries.

Next thing they knew, Helga was at her poetry class, and Arnold was so wrapped up in his thoughts, he forgot to kiss her goodbye.

Helga found it a bit awkward, but tried not to let it get to her. Her teacher had finally moved on from unrequited love and picked a new topic for them to discuss 'passion'.

"Class, people often write about things they are passionate about. Next Friday, I want you to turn in a poem about something you are passionate about."

Hearing that word, the first thought (or face) coming to Helga's mind was Arnold. She immediately knew what her poem would be about.

When it was time for lunch, Helga anxiously headed for the cafeteria, as she was stopped by Amanda. "Hello there Helga!"

Helga jumped, as she was not expecting anyone to speak to her. "Ah...oh hey Amanda."

"I'm just ever so excited about the poem we'll be writing!" she said enthusiastically.

"Uh huh." Helga said, hoping to lose her.

"I have a question I forgot to ask the teacher however." she continued.

"Yeah, what is it?" Helga sighed, realizing she wasn't going to lose her.

"Are we allowed to write our poem about a person?" Amanda asked as Helga's eyes grew.

"Uhh… I guess? Teacher said whatever we're passionate about. Be it your dad or a stack of beepers." she snarked.

"Okay, thank you just ever so much Helga." Amanda said, as Helga kept walking.

She then entered the cafeteria to see the rest of her friends had beat her there. Making it to the table, Arnold said, "Here you go Helga! I got your sandwich...no bacon." winking at her.

Her heart melted at the sight of his face and the size of his heart. The care he felt for her touched her more and more every day. He sat beside her, wrapping his arm around her as he said, "So, how was class?"

"Eh, not bad. Next week I have to hand in a poem on something I'm passionate about. No big deal." she shrugged.

He smiled at her, as he handed her a drink and said, "That shouldn't be any problem for you at all!"

She responded with a mouth full, "Let's hope not." After swallowing, she looked over to see Gerald and Phoebe sitting quietly. "So, how are plans for the election coming along?"

Gerald looked up and said, "I'm thinking about dropping out, and giving the position to her. Like you guys have been saying… it's more than just a popularity contest."

Helga rolled her eyes as Arnold said, "That's really nice of you to do for her Gerald."

As Helga was finishing us her sandwich, she looked at Arnold and said, "You want the last bite before I finish it off Arnoldo?"

He lowered his gaze at her and said, "I'd rather put my mouth on something sweeter."

As Gerald began to sip his drink, he said, "I don't know what you're looking at her for then?"

Ignoring his sarcastic remark, Arnold put her sandwich down, and kissed her. He put his hand behind her head, pulling her close, only thinking about her and what he would be asking her that night. They kept their lips on each other until the bell rang.

"Man! Finally! I never thought that would end!" Gerald exclaimed as he jumped up, watching Arnold and Helga break off their kiss.

"I'll see you at Phoebe's after school." Arnold told Helga.

"See ya!" she said, walking away happily.

After hugging Phoebe goodbye, Gerald stepped over to Arnold and said, "Mmm..mm..mm. Romeo, you just can't give it a rest can you?!"

"I got the money Gerald!" he exclaimed.

"What are you talking about?" Gerald asked

"I got Bob to write me a check for the ring!" Arnold said excitedly.

"I know this goes against the advice I gave you the other day, but there's GOT to be some sort of crazy catch!" Gerald pointed out.

"I told him I'd work for him until the debt was paid off." Arnold explained, not seeing a problem with his plan.

"Arnold! You're going to be working for Bob Pataki! Does Helga know?" Gerald asked anxiously.

"No, not yet. Please, just keep this a secret for awhile." Arnold pleaded.

"Whatever you say Arnold." he shook his head at his lovesick friend.

"Thanks! So, I need help picking a place to propose!" Arnold insisted.

"You're not the type to plan ahead are you?" Gerald said sarcastically.

"Gerald… Just meet me outside after school. We can go get the ring, then take it from there!" Arnold exclaimed, as they came up on his class.

"Alright, see you after school buddy!" Gerald said, as he and Arnold did their hand shake.

Sitting in Calculus, Arnold wrote down a list of special places to propose. Then a list of reasons why, to go along with each one…

 _Gerald Field: Baseball Games_

 _Elk Island: Finding the treasure of Wheezin' Ed_

 _Mighty Pete: The treehouse; saving the tree; meetings in the park_

 _Dino Land: Fun times with friends_

 _Chez Paris: Valentine's Day; Dinner with Phoebe and Gerald_

After ignoring the teacher once again, the bell rang. He raced outside to meet Gerald, ready to show him his list. As he made it out the doors, he could just barely see Helga walking off with Phoebe. Smiling at the thought of what tonight would bring, he was then smacked on the back of the head, "Ouch…"

"Hey man! I've been calling your name for over a minute!" Gerald exclaimed.

"Oh uh sorry Gerald." Arnold blushed, as he began rubbing his arm.

"Whatever you say Arnold. So, we going to go get that ring now?!" Gerald asked, not believing what he just said.

"You bet. I also made a list of places to propose tonight. I need your help picking one though."

"Oh brother. Let me see it." Gerald said, as he reviewed the list. "Looks like you two have had the most fun at the park. However, the most romantic place would be a restaurant."

Arnold, being the indecisive person that he is, said "Hmmm I know! I'll do them all!"

"Uh huh? And how, are you going to do that all tonight?" Gerald asked curiously.

With a huge smile on his face, he said, "We'll get the ring tonight, then I'll spend each day next week doing one of those things after school!"

"You're a bold kid Arnold!" Gerald said, shaking his head.

The two of them walked into the store, as Arnold walked right over to the ring he had his eye on the previous night.

"Excuse me sir, I'd like to buy this ring!" Arnold said, waving at the cashier.

"It's $300.00 son." the cashier said, sure he couldn't afford it.

"I've got the money right here" Arnold said, handing over the check.

The cashier handed Arnold the ring, as he looked at it full of excitement. Gerald shook his head at the idea of his best friend being married...and to Helga G. Pataki nonetheless!

Arnold wanted so badly to propose to Helga right then and there. He also wanted the moment it happened to be just as special as the ring.

"Alright Romeo, you got the ring. Where to now?" Gerald sighed.

"Let's go pick up Helga and Phoebe. We can go see that movie!" he said, full of excitement that the next week was planned out.

"Alright, I'll text the girls and tell them to meet us at the theater." Gerald said.

Arnold could not take his eyes off the ring, the entire walk over there. Eventually, they bumped into the girls at the Avon theater.

"Hey football head, what's that in your hand?" Helga asked.

"HELGA?! I mean, it's nothing." he said, relieved she didn't see it.

She smirked as she said, "Whatever Arnoldo. So, you ready to wet your pants...again!"

"AGAIN?!" Gerald asked anxiously as Arnold blushed heavily.

"Uhh it's nothing Gerald. Let's just go inside." he said, as Helga held in her laugh.

After buying the tickets, the guys went to buy some snacks while the girls went to grab the seats.

Sitting in the theater, Phoebe asked, "So, I'm assuming Arnold will be the topic of your poem Helga?"

"Doi Pheebs! He's the only thing I've ever been passionate about!"

Helga let out the information just as the boys returned with the popcorn and yahoos. Gerald sat on the other side of Phoebe as Arnold did Helga. Arnold wrapped his arm around her as he began to eat some popcorn. Noticing Helga already had her hand buried in the bucket, he whispered, "Need me to feed you some of that?"

She began to blush as she dropped the pieces in her hand and said, "If...if you want." She opened her mouth as he began to stick piece after piece in for her. Arnold then handed her the yahoo. Her heart was as warm as her soda was cold. After setting it down, He leaned in, and stuck his tongue so far down her throat, it was as if he was searching for the popcorn. Moving around in their seats, Gerald and Phoebe did their best to ignore them.

While Phoebe was happy for her friend, Gerald couldn't help but roll his eyes at every loving gesture Arnold made towards Helga. He was happy for his friend, but at the same time, it was 'Helga G. Pataki!' The girl who tormented them, scowled at them, did practically every mean thing that could be done to them. Now here Arnold was, about to propose to her. _Beauty is in the Eye of the beholder I guess_ Gerald thought to himself.

By the time the movie ended, Arnold and Helga's mouths were so sore, they had no idea what had happened during the movie.

As Gerald and Phoebe were getting out of their seats, he snapped, "Show's over you two! Which means your's is too!"

Arnold got off of Helga, keeping his eyes glued to hers. Helping her out of her seat, he asked, "So, what did you think of the movie?"

She smirked at his question and said, "I found something to take my mind off of it."

"Oh please." Gerald said, as the four of them left the theater.

"Well, I suppose we'll see you later. Maybe we can think of something to do this weekend?" Phoebe suggested.

"Sounds good, Pheebs...but I think I might be spending the next two days teaching Arnoldo here a thing or two about Calculus.." Helga said, as she patted Arnold on the back.

Arnold turned to her full of surprise, then looked at her with loving eyes.

"No problem. I think I may be spending the weekend helping Phoebe with her speech." Gerald said, wrapping his arm around her waist.

Helga rolled her eyes as she said, "Just resign, like you said. Then you won't have to do any work."

"Whatever you say Helga." Gerald rolled his eyes as the couples went their separate ways.

"So football head, next Friday's going to be big for all of us. Your test, my poem, their election!"

"Yeah… I was hoping the whole week could be big for us." Arnold stuttered, rubbing the back of his neck.

She lifted part of her eyebrow as she asked, "What's that supposed to mean?"

He gulped softly, rubbing her hand, as he reminded her, "Well, I was thinking about all the fun times we shared together in grade school. I was thinking we could go to a special place each day next week?"

She smiled at him, almost as if she knew something, still not saying anything.

"I mean, it's only if you want to. Like you said, we'll use the weekend to study." he continued as she interrupted him.

"Sounds great! On one condition." she added.

He gave a nervous look as he asked, "What's that?"

"STOP GOING THROUGH MY THINGS FOOTBALL HEAD!" she scowled, threatening to smack him!

He couldn't help but smile at her threat as he responded, "Whatever you say, Helga."

The two of them continued their walk home under the stars as Arnold thought about the romantic week he had planned for them. Helga couldn't help but notice the dreamy look in his eyes as he gazed up at the stars. "What's with you football head? You look sicker than I did the other day?" she smirked.

"Oh, sorry Helga. I've just got a lot on my mind." he admitted.

"I'm guessing it's not Calculus." she said wittingly.

When they made it home, they went up to him room, not worried about saying hi to anybody. Arnold wanted so badly to fast forward through the next week, just to start his new life with Helga. After they changed into their pajamas, he laid on top of her and asked, "So, are you really feeling better?"

"Yes football head. I'm fine." she said, rolling his eyes.

Arnold rubbed his hand up her side, as he said, "Good, that means I don't have to feel bad about this." He began to kiss her, as he lifted off her gown. Holding her face tight, he wrapped his tongue around hers, thinking to himself, _Should I just go ahead and show her the ring?_

As he began to pull away from her, deciding to give into the idea, she pulled him right back on. Flipping herself on top, barely removing her lips from his, she whispered, "I can't wait for next week."

It was then he knew it would be worth the wait. The two went on until they were stripped down to their underwear. "I'm scared, but I'll love our baby." Arnold assured her as they continued rubbing their parts together.

Helga panted, trying to catch her breath, as she said, "I don't think I'm pregnant. I'll take a test when I can to be sure, but I think it was just stress building up inside of me. These past two weeks weren't that easy on my mind." she explained.

Leaning down to kiss him once more, she felt a love inside her heart that she knew would never leave as long as he was near her.

"Let's get some rest," he suggested, as she rolled off him. The two laid there with rose colored cheeks, too hot to get under the covers. Arnold hugged her, enjoying the fact that they got to sleep in the next day.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14: What Did I Miss?

The next morning, they awoke together. Arnold looked at Helga's ocean blue eyes slowly opening in his direction. "Good morning beautiful. What fun thing would you like to do today?" he asked, unable to take his eyes off her.

"Studying! We gotta get this Calculus through that football headed skull of yours if you want that fun week you've been dreaming of!" she insisted.

Arnold sighed as he hugged her and said, "Alright, I guess we should get dressed then."

The two of them stood up as Arnold saw he had left the ring box sticking out of the pocket of his pants. As he raced over to grab it, Helga saw him dart past her.

"Where's the fire hairboy?" she scowled.

"Oh, uh, I just tripped." he stuttered.

"You tripped over there, and landed all the way over here?" she pointed out suspiciously.

"Yeah, I guess so," he said, as he rubbed the back of his neck.

Helga rolled her eyes as she said, "I'm going to get some breakfast. I'll be back, and we can get started."

She left the room as he sighed with relief. The only place he could think to hide it was his backpack. After getting dressed, he went to join Helga in the dining room. "Your parents seem to enjoy making eggs in a basket almost as much as your grandma does pancakes, football head." Helga couldn't help but point out to him.

He smiled and sat down next to her as his mom set a plate in front of him.

"So, what do you two have planned today?" Stella asked.

"I'm going to be spending the day teaching your son here a thing or two about Calculus," Helga butted in.

"That's mighty nice of you," Miles admitted as Arnold blushed with embarrassment.

"It's nothing. I don't enjoy math as much as English, but it's not that hard." she admitted.

When the two of them cleared their plates, they headed back up to Arnold's room.

"Let us know if you need anything!" Stella said, as they made it up the stairs.

Making it back to Arnold's room, he pulled out his Calculus book, and sat down on his bed with Helga.

"Alright football head, let's get started. Tell me the two main types of Calculus…" she asked, as he sat there twiddling his thumbs.

"Uhh…" he went on until she finally answered for him.

"Integral and differential" she answered, rolling her eyes at him.

They went on all day, until Helga said, "Well, I think that's enough math for one day. Don't want to cram too much into that weirdo shaped head of yours."

"Thanks Helga. I think I'm starting to understand it now." he thanked her, putting his hand on the back of his neck.

"No problemo" she blushed as he continued to stare at her.

"Do you have anything you need help with." he asked, knowing he probably wouldn't be of any assistance.

"I've just got to write that passion poem I told you about. Shouldn't take more than a few minutes." she insisted.

"Did you finally decided on a topic?" he asked anxiously awaiting her answer.

She began tugging at her shirt, avoiding eye contact with him, as she said, "Uhh I might have."

Arnold gave a confused look as he said, "What do you mean you might have?"

She gulped, not believing she was revealing the information. "It's about you."

Taking her hand in his, he asked, "Could I read it please?"

"Well, I haven't written it yet." she pointed out.

"Oh… well if you'd like, I'll leave you alone to work on it. I've kind of got something else to finish myself." he said.

He gave her a soft kiss on the lips, melting into the idea of being engaged to her in only a week.

"I'll be at my computer desk." he said, as he walked away from her.

She smiled, watching him walk away. Even across the room, she didn't like the distance that separated them.

 _Arnold My Love_

 _You are my desire; my admiration_

 _The cause of my emotional sensations._

 _Your face brings me more joy each day._

 _The cause of my awe in each and every way._

As Arnold watched her finishing up her poem, he wondered what it was about himself that was so inspiring to her. Whatever it was, he had to make next week equally amazing for her.

When he finished reviewing the romantic plans he had for the two of them, he saw her putting away her things. Getting up from his desk chair, he asked, "So, do I get to read it?"

Helga rolled her eyes, knowing it really wasn't that big a deal. He had already read her most personal diaries and witnessed her lifelong secret possessions of him.

"Fine! Fine! Take it." She scowled, handing it over.

Arnold read over the breathtaking words his lifelong admirer had written about him. Helga's hands fidgeted with anticipation as she watched his eyes move to each line. When they reached the last words, he looked up at her with a look that cried _I have got to tell you something!_

Not hearing a response from him, she looked away with a hand on her neck and said, "Maybe I uh took it a bit too far there…"

No sooner had she said that, he grabbed her and pressed his lips against hers hoping to show as much joy and admiration as her poem had expressed. Barely taking his lips off hers, he whispered, "I have something to tell you."

Pulling back, she asked, "What is it?"

"I'm anxious to give you something, but I don't want to ruin the special plans I've made for us." he said, looking at her with desperation in his eyes.

"Then don't! You're already failing math. We don't need you messing anything else up, football head!" she said wittingly, as he kissed her again. Just revealing that tiny bit of information made it seem as though a huge weight had been lifted off his chest.

A knock came to the door just then, "Hey shortman, there's pizza downstairs!" Phil exclaimed.

Arnold stood and helped Helga to her feet. The two of them headed downstairs to the kitchen, where all the boarders were gathered in the dining room.

"Hey shortman! I thought your girlfriend might enjoy something that wasn't your grandma's cooking...her and I both that is!" Phil exclaimed.

"Uhh...thanks grandpa." Arnold blushed as he got Helga a plate of pizza.

"You two joining us? You're grandma's distracted with that fly in the kitchen, so it should be a normal dinner." Phil insisted.

Arnold looked at Helga, searching for a response.

"Sure, why not?" she said, assuming she's taught Arnold enough for one night.

Sitting at the table with Miles and Stella, they asked, "So, how's the Calculus coming along?"

"I'm really starting to understand it. Helga's a great tutor." Arnold assured them, as he put his hand on her lap.

She let out a love sick sigh, quickly snapping herself out of it, when realizing the number of people she was sitting in front of.

"Oh yeah, he's doing great! If he's lucky, he'll be moving onto Trig before he graduates!" she said enthusiastically as Arnold looked at her with nervous eyes. "Whatever you say, Helga."

Miles and Stella couldn't help but smile at the two of them and their closeness.

When they cleared their plates from the kitchen, Helga asked, "So football head, what should we do now?"

Knowing it wouldn't go as planned, he said to her, "Well, we were so busy at the movie last night, we never actually paid attention to it. Maybe we could see it again?"

Helga tried holding back a laugh at the thought of what happened, "Sure, sounds like a plan. Meet you outside."

Arnold ran upstairs to grab their things, as he saw her poem laying by the bed. He thought once more of how much he meant to her...almost as much as she meant to him.

Making it out the door, he said to her, "I got your purse. Ready to go?"

She smiled as she looked at him and said, "Yep, just do your best to keep your eyes on the movie and not me this time!"

"That probably won't happen, but I'll try." he laughed as he turned her sweet face toward his.

Walking under the stars, Arnold thought about what the upcoming week would bring. Helga now knew something was on his mind. Was she willing to wait to find out what it was however?

The two of them passed by the FTi building on the way to the theater. Suddenly, a new idea entered Arnold's mind. Before he could put too much thought into it, he felt Helga tapping his shoulder. "Hey football head! We're here!"

"Oh, sorry Helga! I'll pay." he insisted.

"You sure you can make it up to the counter with the money and back here with the tickets without ending up on cloud nine again?" she smirked.

Rolling his eyes at her remark, he bought the tickets, and the two of them went to the snack stand together. "We'll take some ice cream nuggets, a tub of popcorn, and some yahoo sodas please." Arnold politely requested, as Helga stood there with one hand on her waist, waiting for the snacks to be delivered.

"I didn't see you wet your pants last time. Think you'll get lucky again?" she asked as he tried not to blush.

"Here are you snacks," the cashier replied as Arnold handed Helga the drinks.

The two of them walked into the theater and took a seat near the back. Arnold held the popcorn as Helga dove into the ice cream nuggets. Watching her, he asked, "Doesn't that give you brain freeze?"

"Eh not really. It's already below freezing in this room." Helga responded.

He shook his head at her, seeing she had just about completed the box. Before letting her finish off the last few, he asked, "Could I have one?"

"Sure, help yourself." she handed him the box.

He began rubbing his shoulder as he said, "Uh..well..I was kind of hoping you would do it."

She raised part of her eyebrow and said, "You remember what got started last time? We missed the entire movie."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Arnold sighed, as he took the box from her.

The movie began as Arnold sat there, wanting so badly to kiss her. Instead, the closest he got was watching her hand go in and out of the popcorn bucket.

Suddenly, he saw her leaning his way, assuming she was about to kiss him. Instead she whispered in his ear, "How much you want to bet, the red head goes next?"

Rolling his eyes at her remark, he asked, "Are you just saying that because of Lila and Amanda?"

She glared at him, trying to keep her voice down and said, "No I'm serious! She's too stupid to hide from those villians!"

"Alright, I say it's the brunette." Arnold insisted.

Not even two minutes after they made the bet, the brunette lost her head, and the popcorn fell from Helga's hand. Arnold leaned over to whisper in her ear, "You were saying?"

She began to shove him, but he grabbed her hand and kissed her deeply. Not caring how much of the movie they missed. She felt his tongue slide further down her throat as he pressed her hand against his chest. His heart was pounding harder than the actors in the movie.

As he took his tongue back, he said, "I'm sorry for getting carried away like that. I'll let you finish the movie."

She felt his face, looking into his sparkling green eyes as she said, "You don't ever have to apologize for loving me."

Laying her head on his shoulder, the two of them finished the movie. As Helga watched the redhead lose her head, she snarked, "Of course Miss Perfect makes it to the end!"

Arnold shook his head as he helped her up and walked her out of the theater. "I'm glad you're feeling better, but you know, if we ever did get married, would you want to have a baby?" he asked her.

She paused for a moment, surprised at how close he felt to her all of a sudden.

"Uhh… I suppose so. We haven't even made it out of high school yet?" she responded, not quite knowing how to answer that.

"You're right. We've got plenty of time to think about that." he said, hugging her tight.

The two of them walked down the street; Arnold anxious to get home and hold her tight. Helga was just enjoying the walk home with her beloved under the stars. She wondered what he could have planned for the two of them the next week. What fun adventures could be on his schedule.

Nearly reaching the boarding house, they passed the Corner Store. Arnold pointed as he saw it on the opposite side of the street.

"What about it?" Helga asked unamused.

"You've been on me all week to buy condoms. Let's get some." he suggested.

She began to blush, as she looked away. ""Oh well, we really don't have to. At least not now."

Paying no attention to her response, Arnold practically dragged her across the street, and into the store.

"Sheesh Arnoldo! Where's the fire?" she exclaimed.

Helga didn't want to be caught grabbing those with him. Therefore, she stayed near the front, reading a wrestling comic. Inside, Arnold ran into Gerald. "Hey Arnold!"

"Oh… Hey...hey Gerald! How was your day?" he asked.

"Not too bad. I helped Phoebe work on her speech. Since I don't have a chance of beating her, I've decided to resign Monday. Now I'm here bringing my mom her cell phone that she left at home." Gerald explained.

"Oh right. I kind of forgot she works here." Arnold said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"So, how was your day with Helga? You get your studying done?" he asked.

"Yeah, we did. Then we went back to see the movie...without making out during it." Arnold added.

"Sure you did." Gerald said sarcastically.

"Gerald! Anyway, we decided to stop here for something on the way home." Arnold responded, regretting adding that to the conversation.

"What did you need to get?" Gerald asked.

"Uhhh it's nothing." he said, trying to hide the condom.

"Man, just show it to me." Gerald insisted, as he tried getting a closer look.

Arnold sighed as he opened his hand to show his friend the box of condoms.

"Mmm..mmm..mmm. Well buddy, have fun!" Gerald shook his head as he patted Arnold on the back and walked away.

Now Arnold's only problem would be checking out without too much embarrassment. As he approached the register, Helga continued to read her magazine. Hoping to make it appear as though they didn't know each other.

Seeing Mrs. Johanson was the only cashier open, Arnold gulped and walked over.

"Hello Arnold, how have you been?" she asked.

"Uhh great. How about you?" he responded, hoping she wouldn't pay attention to what he was purchasing.

Helga buried her face further into the magazine as she listened to their conversation.

"That'll be $10.99" she said, not commenting on what he was buying.

Arnold handed over the money, not making eye contact with her. As she was about to bag it he said, "Oh, you don't have to waste your time with that, thanks." He then snatched it, and placed it in his pocket. After running out, Helga followed behind him a minute later, to keep from looking suspicious.

"Way to go football head! That wasn't 'too' embarrassing!" she scowled.

"Hey, you wanted them. What else were we supposed to do?" he asked, as she shrugged her shoulders.

A minute later, they were back at the boarding house. They walked into a quiet house, slowly making their way up to Arnold's bedroom. As they made sure to gently slide open the door, preventing waking up any of the boarders, Helga went to change her clothes. Arnold stood there with the box of condoms in his hand, as he asked, "So...um...did you want to?"

Helga shrugged her shoulders as she continued changing and said, "Eh, let's save it for a more special night. Between the math and the movie, this has been a pretty horrifying day."

Arnold gave a weak smile as he set the box down on his desk. Changing his clothes, he glanced at the notebook he had been making the plans for his special week with Helga in. While the places he picked to go that week were special to him, he couldn't help but wonder what she considered to be the most special times they shared.

As the two of them got under the covers, they laid there with his arm around her, patting her back. She put her head down on his chest, wondering what was keeping him from turning out the lights. As she was about to offer to turn them off for him, she heard…

"So, I was just thinking about the special week I have planned for the two of us."

Not looking up, she heard him continue…

"There are a lot of places in town I find to have special memories for the two of us. After making the plans, I thought, "Which of the places we've been over the years, mean the most to her?"

She looked up at his eyes and laughed, "Are you hoping to take me to every place next week, because it wouldn't be possible."

He stopped patting her back, listening to her continue.

"The first would be Valentine's Day at Chez Paris. While it blows my mind to this day, you weren't able to recognize me, I'll always cherish the closeness of our dinner."

He began rubbing her shoulder, waiting for her to continue.

"The second would have to be the school play at P.S. 118. Like I said, I did everything I could to make sure I was the one who shared that kiss with you. No matter how awkward the audience found the length of it to be, I don't regret a moment of it. Taking the time to learn every line of that play in one night earned me what turned out to be one of the happiest moments of my life.

After hearing these sweet words leave her lips, he kissed her on her head. A warm feeling took over her. Both from the memories, and his touch, as he asked, "What's your third moment?"

Looking up at him with her ocean blue eyes, she answered, "Spring Break at the Beach. I admit, I'm not proud of the way I pushed you away from me. All I was thinking about on the way there was how wonderful it would be to spend my break with you. It ended perfectly however, with the two of us on my favorite television show!"

He couldn't help but laugh, as he responded, "I think that kiss may have been even longer than the play kiss."

She sighed as she replied, "It still wasn't long enough for me."

Pulling her in tighter, he asked, "What's your next moment?"

"That would have to be when I confessed my love for you on the FTi building. I'm sorry I lied to you when it was all over. I wanted desperately for you to know the truth. I just couldn't handle the thought of rejection. I loved holding onto the idea that maybe...just maybe...there was still hope for us. I didn't want that hope shattered all in five minutes."

She began to turn away, hiding a tear. Noticing this, Arnold turned her back towards him and said, "Neither of us was ready for the truth. We were only nine Helga."

They hugged each other tightly, each feeling like the luckiest person in the world. Arnold at last pulled away to look at her and asked, "So, what's the last place on your list?"

"Our trip to San Lorenzo. While I wasn't quite able to get the words out, seeing you finally show feelings for me was the happiest moment of my life. Then Geraldo just had to ruin it!"

Arnold laughed at her remark as he thought back to that moment. "You know, the idea of telling you I had any feelings for you whatsoever petrified me then. Now the idea of letting a day go by without telling you how much I love you petrifies me even more!" He said as he gave her a long passionate kiss. The two of them held each other as they thought back to those moments, and how far each one had gotten them with each other in life.

As he pulled away, he looked into her eyes and said, "I love you! Let's get some sleep."


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15: Let Me Help You With That

The next morning, they were awoken by the sunlight shining through Arnold's glass ceiling. It wasn't until birds began chirping, they decided to let go of the covers.

"Come on football head. Let's get some breakfast, then I'll teach you the rest of that calculus." Helga demanded.

Arnold began rubbing her shoulder as he continued laying next to her. "Alright. If I really pay attention, maybe we can go somewhere this afternoon." he suggested.

The two of them got dressed and headed towards the kitchen, where they saw Phil reading his newspaper. "Morning you two! How was the movie? Wet your pants?" Phil asked.

Arnold blushed as Helga tried holding back a laugh, "Grandpa!"

"Oh I'm just kidding shortman! Pookey's making some waffles for you. Don't ask what that crazy get up she has on is." Phil said, as he rolled his eyes.

Helga waited anxiously for the food, while Arnold began thinking about his plans for and after school the next day. That wasn't going to give him the easiest time focusing on his Calculus.

"Here you are Slim! Tex! Eleanor! Eat up!" Pookey said, setting a large stack of waffles with warm maple syrup and a glass or orange juice next to each of them.

"So shortman, what do you two have planned for today?" Phil asked.

Arnold looked over at Helga, digging into her plate, "She's going to help me with my homework again. Depending on how quickly we finish, I'm not sure what we'll be doing after that."

Arnold's mind went back to thinking about what working with Bob would be like until Helga finally pushed aside her plate and said, "Ready to hit the books football head?"

"Uhhh sure Helga." he responded.

As the two of them headed up, Phil laughed and called out, "I may switch your nickname to football head, since you don't mind it at all."

Helga couldn't help but laugh as Arnold sighed at the two of them. Making it up to his room, Helga pulled out his book for him. "Okay… let's see. I think we were doing linear equations, functions, and all that other fun, useless stuff." she reminded him.

He sat down beside her, determined to keep his mind focused on the math, as opposed to the rest of the week.

Three hours later, having done a decent job of keeping his mind from drifting away from the topics she was teaching him, he heard her say, "I don't know about you, but I need a break?"

Relieved to hear these words, he said, "Let's go for a walk!"

"Should I text Pheebs and see if she and tall hair boy are interested?" Helga suggested.

After remembering the embarrassing moment with Gerald at The Corner Store, he wasn't quite ready to see his friend yet. "Uhhh Gerald said last night he'd be helping Phoebe all weekend with the election. He's planning on telling the teacher tomorrow that he is resigning."

"Pttss… Well for Pheebs sake, this thing better be more than just a popularity contest." Helga declared.

The two of them left the room and headed for the front door. Passing the kitchen, they saw Pookey chopping watermelon. Helga raised part of her eyebrow, as she said to Arnold, "Does your grandma just dress up for fun, or does she really believe she's a karate chopper, a cowgirl, and all that other mumbo jumbo?"

Looking away as he rubbed his shoulder, Arnold answered, "I think she may have a bit of dimensia. Some days she's fine. Other days, she's in her own world."

"That explains why your head is always in the clouds, football head." Helga patted him on the back.

As the two of them continued walking through the neighborhood, they came across P.S. 118. "Hey look!" Arnold exclaimed.

Helga gave an unamused look as she responded, "Yes Arnold, it's a school. Our old, boring school nonetheless."

Ignoring her witty remark, he pointed out, "No, I mean, people are leaving. It's Sunday, why would anyone be there?"

She shrugged her shoulders as she looked at him and said, "Beats me."

"Isn't your sister working there now?' he asked, not being able to let go of his curiousity.

Rolling her eyes at his question, she turned and asked, "What's your point?"

"Would you like to go see if she's there?" he asked, with sweet eyes she could barely resist.

"Arnold, why would I want to see her? She drives me crazy!" Helga reminded him furiously.

"She's still your sister. Plus, it would be a good chance to see her without having to go back to your house." he insisted.

Acting like she could care less, she put a hand on her waist and said, "Fine! Let's go see what's up!"

The two of them made it to the school yard. While the playground was deserted, they heard noises coming from inside the building. "This sure brings back memories, huh?" Arnold suggested.

"Like Wolfgang stealing our lunchmoney and Patty threatening to beat us up?" she smirked.

Then she saw the trash cans, and her memories of hiding to get a moment of peace to vent about her hidden emotions for Arnold were brought back to her.

"Uhh...Helga?" Arnold questioned, as he noticed her continuing to reminisce about gazing at her locket; thinking out loud her wishes about her and Arnold she knew would mostly never be.

"HELGA!" he exclaimed, finally snapping her out of it.

"Huh?" she turned to him, pretending to not be thinking about anything she may not have told him.

"What were you staring at?" he asked, already having it made clear she had been looking straight at the line of trash cans.

"Nothing football head! I was just thinking about our childhood memories like you said, sheesh!" she exclaimed.

"But, you were staring at those trash cans?" he questioned, knowing she must be hiding something.

"So, it's a free country." she protested.

"I guess? What were you thinking about for so long though that you couldn't take your eyes off them?" he wondered, again not being able to let go of his curiousity.

She sighed, irritated at his inability to move on. "Fine! I was just thinking about…"

"About what?" he questioned anxiously.

Rolling her eyes at him, she said, "About all the times I sat back there when I needed time to think. You know, just time to be alone with my thoughts." She began drifting off, rubbing the back of her neck.

Arnold took her hand, wanting to know more, as he asked, "What were you thinking about?"

"Oh come on football head, don't make me say it!" she turned away, closing her eyes tight.

Knowing then she was thinking about him, he said to her, "All those times I heard you say you had just dropped some loose change. I thought it was weird you needed to talk to yourself just to pick up some coins." He laughed as she had the urge to knock him to the ground.

"Come on, let's go inside and find your sister!" he insisted as she continued to sigh,"Oh joy."

As the two of them wandered the halls, they followed the sounds of the students all the way to the auditorium. There they heard… "Excellent! That was absolutely amazing boys and girls!"

Arnold walked Helga over to the front row, where the two of them saw Olga directing the school play. "Hey Olga, what's going on?" Arnold asked.

"Arnold! Baby sister!" Olga shouted with joy, as she grabbed Helga, not caring how uncomfortable she made her.

"The school is allowing me to direct Romeo and Juliet. It's been the school's annual tradition to perform ever since your class did it. Unfortunately, they weren't able to find any students willing to perform the kissing scene." Olga explained as Helga interrupted.

"I think her stabbing her heart with that dagger should be enough to get the job done."

"I suppose. So are you ready for your special surprise?" Olga asked Helga, as Arnold's eyes lit with anxiety.

Helga looked at him as he interrupted, "Oh um we haven't made it to that yet Olga."

"Oh I see. Well, I'm sure it will be just wonderful! It was lovely to see you two! Boys and girls, I believe we are through for the day!" Olga said sweetly, as she lead them out of there.

Watching them walk out, Arnold and Helga walked up on stage. Helga stood in the same spot she remembered kissing Arnold, as Arnold wrapped his arms around her and said, "This brings back even more memories."

Helga put her hand on his, as she glanced at him and said, "Are you sure? You couldn't even remember which play we did."

He rolled his eyes at her as he laid down and said, "I remember you plopping down on me, as I laid here 'dead.' No one warned me about that."

She glared at him, continuing to lay there, as she bent next to him and said, "I also remember something like this."

Hovering over him, she kissed him long as she remembered doing in the play. Only this time, he wasn't concerned about how long it lasted, or how many people were watching them.

When she finished, she looked down at him smiling, while he looked up at her and said, "You were right. This is one of our most special memories."

She rolled her eyes as she stood up and said, "Well doi! I'm always right hairboy!"

"What do you say we go to another one of your other special places?" he asked, winking at her.

After giving a love sick sigh, she helped him up. The two left the school, hoping not to pass Olga on the way out.

"I don't think I have the money to fly us to San Lorenzo, or a car to get us to the beach." she said sarcastically.

"Actually, I was thinking we could have dinner at Chez Paris. If you want to invite Phoebe and Gerald, that's fine." he said, getting over his embarrassment.

"Sure, I'll text Pheebs." Helga said happily.

Arnold watched her, thinking about how in less than twenty four hours, he'd be starting work with her dad.

"Hey Pheebs. You and Geraldo up for dinner at Chez Paris, tonight?"

While knowing the stress in Gerald's stomach had at last been relieved, she knew he could still use a break from the project in general.

"Sure. We'll meet you there shortly."

"It's a date, looks like football head." Helga said, putting away her phone.

The two of them continued walking outside, until Arnold once again looked at the trash cans. "So you were really thinking of me, every time I caught you back there?"

Sighing hard, she scowled, "Yes hairboy! I thought we went over this?"

Trying to hold back a laugh, he said, "I'll make sure to look for you, every time I see a trash can from now until the day I die."

Knowing he was only joking, she couldn't help but feel a chill run through her body. To have someone love her that much, and finally know how much she loved him.

They made it to Chez Paris just as their friends were reaching the front door. "Hey guys, how's the speech coming?" Arnold asked anxiously.

"I think everything is falling into place quite nicely. If we stay on top of things, there should be no problems on Friday." Phoebe explained confidently.

Gerald smiled, happy for his girlfriend. "How's the calculus coming?"

"Hairboy's starting to get the hang of things. A few more hours of my special training, and he'll ace the exam." Helga said proudly as Gerald rolled his eyes at her.

The four of them then walked inside, where they saw Arnold's parents sitting on the other side of the restaurant.

"Hey Arnold! Aren't those your parents over there?" Gerald pointed out as Arnold began to blush.

"Uh yeah? We can go some place else, if you'd like?" he turned to see a reaction from Helga.

"Eh, we're already here. Let's eat." Helga insisted, as Gerald took Phoebe's hand, leading her to the table. Arnold didn't want to do anything to make Helga uncomfortable around his parents. Therefore, he just walked her to the table like a normal friend.

As the four of them sat, the waiter came to the table to offer them a set of menus. Arnold hid behind his, hoping he wouldn't attract any unnecessary attention their way.

"What can I bring you this evening?" the waiter requested.

Helga and Arnold had been there quite a few times before. They knew by that point what they would enjoy...and what to stay away from.

Gerald really just enjoyed going there to view and smell their cheese platter. Also to get a kick out of how much it disgusted Arnold.

Whether or not Phoebe enjoyed what she ordered, she always had proper table manners.

Once their orders had been placed, the waiter picked up their menus, and promised to be back shortly. As they waited for their food, Gerald and Phoebe began talking about what they had left to do on their speech. Suddenly, Arnold felt a tap on his back.

"Hey Arnold!" his parents said, as he turned around to look at them.

"We were just heading home. Didn't expect to see you here." they said excitedly.

"Umm yeah. It was sort of a last minute decision." he said hesitantly, hoping Helga wouldn't be too embarrassed.

"Well, you and your girlfriend enjoy yourselves." They insisted.

With that, sweat began to pour down his face. Running into them was one thing, but having them point out their relationship in public was another. Arnold slowly turned around, unsure of how she was taking it. Instead of seeing vindictive eyes and firey hot cheeks, he saw a weak smile. She turned to him and said, "Cool running into them like that."

He nearly fell out of his seat, hearing this from her.

Once their food was brought, Helga dove in as usual, while Phoebe showed proper table manners. Gerald couldn't take his fascination away from the cheese, while Arnold barely finished his plate.

The waiter came by asking, "It there anything else I can bring you?"

Looking at his soon to be fiance, Arnold said, "We'll take a chocolate mousse cake." Knowing it was her favorite dessert.

"Perhaps you should order Geraldo over there some cheese cake." Helga suggested, as the rest of them began to laugh.

When the waiter returned with the cake, Arnold noticed Helga about to dive in. He snatched the fork away from her, as she exclaimed, "Hey! What do you think you're doing?!"

"You really should learn to eat slower. At least chew before you swallow." he insisted.

Gerald and Phoebe tried holding back their laughs as Helga glared at him and scowled, "Oh, and I suppose you could show me?"

Not expecting it, he placed the cake into her mouth, seeing she still scarfed it down. He rolled his eyes, hanging onto the fork and said, "You're not getting another bite, until you chew slower."

"Fine! Now give me my cake!" she exclaimed, as he fed her another piece. Chewing more slowly, she asked with a mouth full, "Satisfied?"

Paying no attention to her rude behavior, he smiled and continued to feed her. The more he gave her, the slower she chewed, forgetting about the cake. All they could soon think about was each other. Phoebe and Gerald stared at the two of them, seeing how close their lips were to meeting.

Gerald whispered to Phoebe, "I'm glad his parents didn't stick around for this."

Not bothering to listen to his remark, Arnold finally put down the fork. He leaned into kiss her sweet lips, finally getting his share of the dessert.

Helga began to slowly suck his tongue, forgetting anyone was watching them.

When they pulled away from each other, she said, "Did I do that slow enough for you, football head?"

"Slow enough, but not long enough" Arnold said, as he was about to lean in for another. Just then, the waiter came over and handed them the bill. Gerald sighed with relief, at the idea of being saved from having to watch them go at it again.

"Well, I guess we can go now." Arnold said, as they all gathered their things. The four of them walked out together, unsure of what to do next.

"So, do you guys want to go check out the comic book store?" Arnold suggested.

"Comic books. Arnold what are we, nine still?" Gerald asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Says the boy who brags about a record score of Runaway Bus Driver still." Helga countered as Gerald glared at her.

Although Gerald didn't really have a problem with going there, he just wasn't looking for another adult viewing from the two of them.

"I think I'm just going to head home. This has been an exhausting weekend for me, as far as studying goes." Gerald insisted.

"I'll walk you home Gerald. Goodbye Helga. Goodbye Arnold. Dinner was delightful!" Phoebe thanked them.

As Phoebe walked Gerald home, she asked, "So are you really okay with stepping down Gerald? You seem a bit distraught."

"Of course I'm okay with it babe. I just can't get used to this Arnold and Helga business. I never saw him falling for someone like her. He's a bold kid though." Gerald sighed.

"Helga's more than she seems Gerald. She's always had deep, loving feelings for Arnold. The thought of rejection has just been what's kept her from showing her sensitive side to him, as well as to other's all these years." Phoebe continued to explain, hoping he would eventually see past her negative side.

"Whatever you say." Gerald shook his head as she giggled.

Heading in the opposite direction of the street, Arnold was holding hands with Helga, as they made their way back to the boarding house. "I had a really good time with you today, Helga."

Knowing she was about to blush, she managed to look at him and say, "I gotta say, despite seeing my sister, I had a pretty good time myself...Romeo!" she said, while winking at him.

As Arnold wrapped his arm around her, smiling at her remark, the two of them walked by Madam Blanches' Love Potions. "Shall I go in there and buy a poison potion, to make the day even more special?" he asked, winking back, pulling her in tighter.

She pushed him away, saying to him, "If you really were dead, you couldn't enjoy the sweetness of my cake smothered lips."

Rolling his eyes at her remark, he responded, "Speaking of which, you still have some on your cheek. I told you, you were a sloppy eater!"

"Then why don't you get it off for me?" she insisted.

Licking his finger, he reached to wipe it off for her. She stopped him however to say, "Not like that!"

After thinking a moment, he leaned in to put his lips against her cheek. She closed her eyes as he pressed his lips on it, licking the chocolate off for her.

Standing there, without a care in the world who saw them, she let out a lovesick sigh.

Removing his lips, he pressed his nose against hers, as he whispered, "I think I got it."

"Darn!" she said, as the two of them giggled.

Now feeling as turned on as she was, the two of them raced back to the boarding house. Unfortunately, his parents were waiting for them in the kitchen. "Hey you two, come talk to us!"

Arnold sighed, as he lead Helga into the kitchen.

"So, how was dinner? We haven't seen much of you two lately!" Stella asked.

Arnold rubbed his neck, while Helga tried to hide her blushing face.

"Umm it was good. We just talked about Gerald and Phoebe's upcoming election."

"Election? You never told us about that!" Miles pointed out.

"Yeah, he and Phoebe ended up being elected for class president after their classmate Matt was transferred to another school." Arnold explained.

"Wow! They must be having a hard time coping with that!" Stella exclaimed.

"Actually, Gerald has decided to step down for her. I don't think he was able to handle the stress once he realized it was more than a popularity contest." Arnold pointed out.

"What made Matt transfer?" Miles asked, as Helga began to blush terribly.

"Ohh umm, well…" Arnold began, looking back at Helga. Suddenly Phil interrupted. "Shortman's girlfriend socked him!"

The two of them looked at her with wide eyes as she lowered her head, not knowing what to say.

Seeing her eyes water, Arnold jumped in, "She was protecting me! Matt tried to feel her up, so I stepped in to help her. When he made fun of me however, she punched him when he wasn't ready." he explained, before they could attack her.

"Oh my. Well, as long as you two are okay, I suppose that's all that matters." Stella said.

Helga lifted her head, relieved his parents were empathetic about the news.

"Well, I guess that's everything that's happened recently. We're going to my room now." Arnold said, racing Helga to his room.

"Okay son. Good night." Miles said, waving good night to him.

The two of them made it to Arnold's room, as he quickly turned to face Helga, "Sorry about that Helga. They're not upset with you. They just get concerned."

She sighed at him, sitting down on his bed. "Well, as long as they're not mad, I guess that's all that matters."

Picking up his math book, Helga asked, "Want to go over your studies some more?"

That was the last thing he wanted to do, but he knew it had to be done. "Uhh, sure I guess."

An hour or so later, they closed the book, and decided to get some sleep. "Guess tomorrow's the start of another fun week." Helga pointed out.

"Yeah. Speaking of which, I kind of have somewhere I need to be after school. Will you be okay here without me?" he asked.

She raised part of her eyebrow, as she asked, "Where do you need to go?"

He rubbed the back of his neck as he said, "We both know I'm not good at lying, so I'll just go ahead and tell you, it has something to do with putting together your special week. It shouldn't take long though. When I get home, we'll go to one of your places."

She rolled her eyes as she said, "Fine, desert me if you must! Let's just get some sleep."

He smiled, kissing her on the forehead, wrapping his arm around her. "Good night sweetheart. I love you."

Helga had no trouble falling asleep, while Arnold laid there a while thinking about the great plans he had for her. The effort it would take to make them happen, and how anxious he was to see her express her true feelings for him by the time it was all over.

Eventually, he fell asleep, and morning came before they both knew it.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16: What's So Important?

As the alarm went off, Helga leaned over to shut off the annoying noise. Turning back over to face her beloved, she said, "Well, it's the start of another fun week, football head."

"The start of one 'special' week for you!" he smiled, correcting her, as he rubbed her shoulder.

Letting out a lovesick sigh, she smiled and said, "Yeah, yeah, I'll believe it when I see it."

Watching her go through her things, he noticed she still had her old clothes. All the pink and red striped dresses she wore to match her ribbon, which complimented her so well in grade school. "You still have all your old dresses?" he asked, not thinking about her reaction.

She gulped, not knowing how weak that must have made her look to him. "Yeah! You got a problem with that?!" she scowled.

He walked over, holding her hand as he said, "Of course not. I think it's sweet."

Nearly fainting, she managed to keep character, as she replied, "Yeah well, Bob and Miriam never bothered to buy me nice things. What choice did I have?"

She then put on her jeans and and purple sweater, saying to him, "When you finish taking the twenty minutes a girl normally would to get ready, I'll be downstairs waiting for you at breakfast."

"Whatever you say, Helga." he sighed.

He took almost exactly as long as she predicted, still thinking about his afternoon with Bob. When he was finally able to get his mind and things together, he met her downstairs for breakfast.

"Howdy Slim, Tex, Eleanor! Today's specialty, bacon and eggs!" Pooky said proudly.

By that point, Helga had learned to ignore her remarks, as well as the rest of the boarders.

"Sorry about being called Eleanor, Helga" Arnold apologized as he blushed.

She continued staring at her plate, while she spoke to him, "Like I said, as long as she doesn't call me Olga, she can give me whatever nickname she likes."

When the two of them finished eating, they walked out to catch the bus. "Well. Gerald said he was going to resign his position today. I wonder how he's going to feel after he does it." Arnold said, thinking out loud.

"Eh, those two lovebirds would do anything for each other." Helga pointed out without making the connection between her and Arnold.

He however wasn't blind to it, as he looked at her with a half lidded gaze and said, "Yeah, they would."

Making it to the bus stop, they got on just as it pulled up. The two of them saw their best friends sitting in the back, and decided to take a seat with them. "So, are you nervous about stepping down Gerald?" Arnold asked curiously.

Looking over at Phoebe's concerned facial expression, he placed an arm around her and replied, "Nah, it's for the best."

Leaning back in her seat with her legs crossed, showing no concern for the result of their friends' class event, Helga changed the topic. "So Pheebs, apparently Arnoldo here has plans that don't involve me after school. Mind if I swing by your place for an hour?"

Cheerfully accepting her request, the young Asian girl nodded her head in agreement as she replied, "Certainly Helga!"

Smiling at the idea of always being able to rely on her best friend, Helga began to reach for her backpack. Not feeling the need to keep her eyes on it, she felt a firm grip on her wrist. "Ouch! What the…?!"

When Arnold saw her mistakenly placing her hand on his bag, the first thought that came to his mind was, _The ring is in there!_

Embarrassed at the pressure he put on her wrist, he couldn't come up with a reasonable explanation. "Oh..um sorry Helga. It's just, you were about to grab my bag."

Not understanding the severity behind the situation, she glared at him, rubbing her wrist and scowled, "So what? You got some kind of secret treasure in there?!"

Doing his best not to blush, his eyes crossed over to Gerald, implying this may not be the easiest secret to keep for a week. Gerald sat there by the window, with his arm around Phoebe. Shaking his head, he thought to himself, _That kid's got his work cut out for him!_

Although she was no longer rubbing it, Arnold couldn't help but notice Helga hadn't taken her hand off her wrist. The last thing he ever wanted to do was hurt her. She continued to sit there holding it, looking in the opposite direction of him, with a stare that read _This day already sucks!_

At last, the bus arrived at the school and all the teenagers exited. Gerald and Phoebe stood unanimously, him keeping his arm around her. At times Arnold would look at them and it would seem as though they were one person. They worked so well together; read one another's minds so easily. If there was a problem, it could be easily shaken off. Here Arnold had done something as simple as squeeze Helga's wrist. In a relationship with Helga, a problem that would take care of itself in two minutes could turn into an issue to debate on for two days if not handled in just the right way. That being said, he didn't bother to ask to hold her hand.

With Phoebe and Gerald being a ways ahead of them, Helga soon let go of her hand. This bringing a moment's peace to Arnold's mind, she turned to him and asked, "So, what's so important after school, I can't be included in it?"

He began to roll his eyes out of habit at her. It was as if her smart mouth remarks were a trigger for their motion. Yet, it was a trait of hers, he wouldn't remove if he could. "Like I said, it's just part of our special week."

She scoffed, as they made it down the hallway to her poetry class. Standing outside her classroom, she placed a hand on her hip, leaving her pinched one hanging. "How is it 'our' special week, if I'm not included?"

Seeing her hurt hand lingering there, he picked it up to place inside both his (what she had always considered to be) gentle, smooth, comforting hands. Hands from which she felt one touch brought more safety and comfort than any other experience in her life could ever compare to. "Good point." he smiled, pulling her hurt hand up to kiss it, unsure of what to say.

Hearing her lovesick sigh retaliate to his loving gesture, he left her by saying, "I'll see you at lunch!"

Holding her hand to her heart, she entered class with the look of love in her eyes. Luckily for her, most of the students were too wrapped up in their own conversations to notice her unusually giddy facial expression… except for one.

Laying back in her seat, with her head in the clouds, Helga felt a sudden tap on her shoulder. She turned around swiftly, hoping to hide what she realized to be loving facial expressions. There she saw Amanda, wondering what business of hers she was ready to butt into now.

"Hello Helga!" Amanda greeted her excitedly, as Helga placed an elbow on her desk with her head resting on her hand.

"What's up News Reporter?" she asked, hoping to move her along quickly.

Ignoring Helga's remark, Amanda held onto her charming smile as she replied, "I was just wondering if you'd made any progress with your poem?"

Barely keeping interest in the nosey red head's words, she snarled, "Oh yeah, piece of cake. Now move it along, sister!"

The teacher then entered the room; once again not caring half the class was out of their seats and socializing with one another. Did it matter however, it he was the last to arrive? Holding a stack of papers in his hand, he turned to the class and said, "Now class, I know you're anxious to continue our topic on passion!"

Normally, she would come up with a witty remark in her mind, let alone mumble to herself. Poetry however was the one thing she used to express herself. The one thing she had to escape from all the trauma in her life. Be it used in a depressing or joyful way. What gave her a reason to believe in it, was her inspiration…

"I'm assuming you've already chosen you're topics. Something I wish I would have mentioned before however, was to think about your inspiration behind it! What do you believe it is that causes you to feel this way about this thing you love so much? What pushes you to hang onto it? That gives you a reason to believe you and this thing were meant to share your life together!"

As the teacher spoke, Helga began to think about her and Arnold. What _was_ it about him that made him irresistible to her? Was it his kind nature, his forgiving attitude, the way he always thought to put another person's problems ahead of his own?

Eventually the bell rang, and before the teens knew it lunch came. Arnold met Gerald on his way to the cafeteria, ready to ask how his plan to resign his position went. Seeing his friend's discomforting look, he walked over and asked, "So, how did class go?"

Gerald let out the same sigh he did the day Arnold was informed he would be running against Phoebe. Already assuming that meant things did not go as planned, Arnold continued to walk in silence with Gerald through the crowded hallways. Noticing new posters were being hung about the election, Gerald knew there was no hiding it. "Man, the teacher won't let me back out! She and I are going to have to ride this thing to the end."

Arnold read posters for the two of them

Phoebe

Want an A?

She'll lead you all the way!

Gerald

He's so cool

The best athlete in school!

Looking back at his depressed friend, Arnold asked, "So what if you have to stay in the election? Just let her win. You said yourself, if you had to lose to some, you would want it to be her!"

Gerald looked over at his best friend, ashamed to admit the words that were about to escape his lips. "I heard some of the kids in our class talking. Basically, the idea of losing to a girl would be pretty pathetic to them."

Giving his best friend a disappointing look, Arnold looked over and asked, "YOU don't really feel that way do you? It's Phoebe! She's the smartest girl you've ever known! You should be proud to have her as your girlfriend! Who cares what those guys think?"

Looking over at Arnold's upset face, he began, "I know man, it's just…" as Arnold interrupted.

"Come to think of it, I've never seen you act this nervous about anything? You're always so calm in tense situations. Now all of a sudden you're letting something as simple as a popularity contest get the best of you?" Arnold finished, as he began to walk ahead of his friend.

Making it to the cafeteria, Arnold saw the girls the two of them admired sitting at their usual table. Normally, he would grab him and Helga some lunch, but she seemed to be busy with something.

"Hey guys, how's it going?" he asked, sitting his stuff down at the table.

Startled by his sudden appearance, Helga hid the sheet of paper. Phoebe rolled her eyes at the idea of Helga still having to ease her way into letting Arnold know about things she did involving him. "Uhh fine. We were just discussing what we'll be doing the hour you're abandoning me after school."

Seeing her anxiously stuff her paper into her bag, he responded in disbelief, "Looks like you were working on an assignment?"

Her eyes lit up at the way he always managed to catch her. Beginning to feel her face turn pale, she looked down at the table as she rubbed the hand he had grabbed that morning.

Watching her do this, he forgot about the paper and asked, "Does your hand still hurt?"

Thankful they could switch to a different topic, she quickly lied and answered, "Uhhh….kind of."

Immediately noticing the guilt which took over his face, she removed his hand from hers and placed it onto his. He looked over onto it as he listened to her say, "I think I'll survive though, football head."

Gently rubbing it, about to lean in for a kiss, Gerald showed up. _Moment ruined_ Helga bluntly thought to herself.

"Hey guys." Gerald said with an unexpected smile on his face, as Phoebe looked over at him. "Gerald, I'm sorry the teacher wouldn't follow through on our plans. Hopefully, this won't cause any trauma for the two of us."

Setting his arm behind her, he leaned back in his chair and replied, "Relax babe, this week's going to turn out fine. Arnold set me straight." winking over at his buddy.

Actually listening to their discussion about the election, Helga couldn't help but smile at Arnold when she heard what Gerald had said about her beloved solving his problem. That was something she loved about him; the way he always put another person's problems ahead of his own.

When lunch ended, the four of them went their separate ways. Before Helga could leave him, Arnold held her hurt hand once more and said, "I'll pick you up at Phoebe's around 5."

Taking her hand back, she put it on her waist, and said, "Actually, I'll meet you at the boarding house. I think she and I are going to Slaucen's after school. See you later!"

Arnold waved goodbye to his true love as his best friend walked over, back to his laid back self. "Well buddy, ready to get this day over with?"

"Yeah, let's go Gerald." Arnold sighed, with a smile still on his face.

The two boys walked slowly, taking their time getting to class. While Gerald's mind was finally at peace about the election, he could tell Arnold had something on his mind. "So, you still planning on going to Big Bob's Beepers this afternoon?"

Looking over at his friend, he replied, "Yeah, although I don't think the store will be called that after they put all their new merchandise in. Like Helga's been telling him for years now, all people care about is cellphones."

Gerald wasn't normally one to agree with Helga, but he knew she wasn't wrong about that. "Mmm.. . Well, you got your work cut out for you my friend!"

Rubbing his neck at the thought of what he may have gotten himself into, he responded, "Yeah, but if this week goes according to plan, it will all be worth it. I mean, I'm just working for him until I get the ring paid off."

"Whatever you say Arnold!" Gerald shook his head in disbelief as the two parted ways. Arnold entered his calculus class. Despite his anticipation to start the evening with Helga, he actually understood what the teacher went over with them.

When class let out, he hoped to see her standing outside, just to say goodbye to her. Despite his usual race towards the doors, he only made it out in time to see her and Phoebe walking towards the end of the sidewalk. Knowing he'd be headed in the opposite direction, he thought to himself, "I'll just wait until I'm through with Bob to say hi to her."

While he missed the girls, Gerald caught him just before he left the building. "Hey man, wait up!"

Normally, Arnold wouldn't ignore his friend, but he couldn't let his plans with his special girl get postponed. "Sorry Gerald, I can't be late." Continuing to run off, he missed Gerald yelling, "Arnold, I have to tell you something!"

Racing all the way to Big Bob's Beepers, he made it there just in time to see Bob addressing Big Gino and his gang. Arnold thought to himself, _Those guys are going to regret hanging around as long as they did._

Making it only a few feet from the store, he saw Bob shaking hands with Gino before the gang walked away. _Maybe Bob gave them the beepers just to get them off the property_ he thought to himself.

"Hey Mr. Pataki! I'm ready." Arnold said anxiously, as Bob turned to glare at him.

"Ready for what kid?" Bob asked, as Arnold gave him a disappointed look.

"You said I had to work for you to pay off the debt for the engagement ring?" Arnold reminded him. Being shown once again, Bob had no concern for his younger daughter or her life whatsoever.

"Oh right right! Turns out I don't need you anymore Alfred. That group of kids there really knows a thing or two about business. I've decided to hire them instead." Bob said proudly as Arnold's face dropped.

"But.. I already bought the ring!" he said full of disappointment, hoping he could do something to change Bob's mind.

"Then hand it over! I'll save it for when Olga gets married...again. Yeesh!" Bob exclaimed, as he anxiously reached out for the ring.

Knowing there was nothing he could do at that point, Arnold began searching his bag. Bob continued holding out his hand impatiently as Arnold grew full of concern.

"Well? Don't tell me you lost it!" Bob said angrily.

"I don't know! I had it with me this morning!" Arnold exclaimed as he saw Bob's face turn red.

"I don't have time for this right now. I've got a store to put together. You better find that thing, or you owe me $300! You got that kid!" Bob demanded, walking away angrily.

Arnold headed for the boarding house, filled with both fear and disappointment. Should he tell Helga what happened? Was there any point in proposing to her at this point? How was he supposed to come up with that sort of money?

Meanwhile, Helga and Phoebe had been enjoying milkshakes together. They sat at the counter, talking about what the week may have in store for them. Doing a decent job of hiding her anticipation, Helga anxiously awaited to see what Arnold's special plans throughout the week for them would be.

"So, are you going to tell him Helga?" Phoebe asked, already knowing what the answer would be.

Taking a sip of her milkshake, leaning back in her chair, Helga casually responded. "Nah, he's got a surprise for me. Let this be my surprise for him."

Phoebe giggled as she saw Arnold walking towards Slaucen's. "Speaking of surprises, Helga." Pointing behind Helga, in his direction. She turned her head, just as he entered the door.

"Hey football head, how's it going?" she asked, not noticing his depressing facial expression.

Not knowing if he should break the news and ruin their week, he randomly asked, "Umm Helga, do you think I could talk to Phoebe...alone?"

Helga lifted part of her eyebrow as she said, "Okayyy...I'll meet you outside? No funny business!"

"Of course not Helga." Phoebe assured her, knowing she was only passing out a witty remark.

Waiting for Helga to exit the door, Phoebe turned to Arnold and asked, "What seems to be the problem."

Taking a deep breath, he rubbed the back of his neck and said, "I'm guessing Gerald already spilled the beans to you about my plans to propose to Helga this week."

Phoebe's eyes lit up, not being able to help but think about Helga's secret. "Yes, he did mention it."

Arnold rolled his eyes, knowing how tight the two were. "Well, I lost the ring. I don't know what could have happened to it? Now I owe Bob $300!"

"Oh my! What are you going to tell Helga?" Phoebe questioned.

Arnold breathed heavily, nearly hyperventalating, "That's the thing! I don't know if I should tell her! I don't know if I should even keep my plans to propose to her now?"

While Phoebe knew Helga wouldn't like the idea of having her plans revealed, she also didn't want to let Arnold down.

"Hmm… Well, has Bob threatened you in any way?" she asked, making Arnold think for a moment.

"He just said I had better find it, or I owe him $300." Arnold thought back to his exact words.

Phoebe continued to think out loud, "Well then, not to press your luck, you still have time to find the ring. Just go about your business you have planned with Helga for the rest of the week. You don't need a ring to propose to her. It's merely an object to represent your love, not prove it. Then when Friday comes, you can tell her what happened. Hopefully you won't have heard from Bob before then."

Arnold took her advice into consideration, although not completely relieved of his tension. "Thanks Phoebe. See you later." Waving goodbye to her, he addressed an impatiently waiting blonde girl outside the ice cream parlor.

"So, what was so important that I couldn't be included… once again?!" she exclaimed.

Arnold sighed, too tired to come up with an excuse. "It's not important. Let's go take a walk around the park."

She glared at him, not knowing where he could be going with this. "The park? That was your special plan for us?"

Realizing now how unexciting it sounded, he replied, "I wanted to take you to all the places we shared happy times together as kids. We may not have always gotten along when we were younger, but through it all, you never left my side."

Taking his hand, the two began to walk down the street towards the park. She began to think about how much thought he had put into this for the two of them. Even if it was something simple, the reason behind what they were doing mattered more to him than the actual thing they were doing. It put a smile on her face just then thinking about what a kind person Arnold really was. Without realizing it, she began to rub his hand.

He looked over to see her staring off into space with a wide grin on her face as she continued to do this. Noticing this, he thought to himself, _How could I let anything stop me from keeping something so wonderful in my life?_

The two of them made it to the park as they walked around, noticing kids fly kites, parents playing with their children, teens walking their pets. Eventually, they came across Mighty Pete. Looking up at it, Helga couldn't help but mention, "Remember when you started that crazy petition against my dad to save this thing?"

Rubbing her hand, he grinned at her and said, "I remember you jumping into my arms and screaming when the tractor came!"

Rolling her eyes as she placed her free hand on her hip, she looked away from him and said, "Hey! We were about to be knocked out of a tree! No thanks to YOU Arnoldo!"

Putting his arms around her waist, he looked at her and said, "There are so many things about this city that remind me of all the times we shared together. Even if we didn't always get along as kids, you always stood by my side. 'That's' why I chose this to be one of the special places I brought you this week"

Placing her hands on his as they remained around her waist, she realized he was right. Although it was always torture for her not being able to come clean about her feelings for him, she was still brave enough to stand by his side in his time of need.

After standing there a few minutes, she finally turned to face his loving eyes. "Let's get out of here. Your family's probably wondering where we are."

Knowing she was right, he sighed at the thought of their special moment coming to an end. "You're right; let's go. They've probably got dinner waiting." Not wanting to ruin the moment, he couldn't help but think back to lunch after making that assumption. "Speaking of lunch, what exactly were you working on when I made it to the cafeteria?"

Her eyes sprung open as she began rubbing her arm. "Oh you know, just making some adjustments to my poem. Nothing out of the ordinary."

Giving her a surprised look, he began to slow his pace as he asked, "Did your teacher tell y'all to add something to it? I thought it was great the way it was."

Trying to hide her thoughts, she snapped, "Of course you thought it was great...it was ABOUT you!"

An awkward silence occurred as she thought about what had just happened. Every time he complimented her, she pushed away his loving nature with her own cruel behavior.

"I'm sor-sorry Arnold." she whispered, looking down at the ground.

As they approached the boarding house, he looked at her and said, "It's okay. I know you'll never see yourself the way I see you."

Shocked by his words, she let go of his hand and watched him walk ahead of her into the house. Slowly marching up the steps, she found him meeting the boarders in the dining room. "Helga, sweetie! Dinner is ready. We're having steak and fried vegetables." Stella said excitedly as she set the food down on the table.

Arnold took his usual seat, waiting for Helga to sit beside him. "Sounds great, but I've actually got some homework I need to get started on." she insisted.

Arnold gave her a concerned look as he said, "I didn't even see you eat lunch though. Can't it wait?"

Helga just rolled her eyes at his inability to let things go. "I'm fine Arnold. You go ahead and eat without me."

With that, she ran upstairs while the rest of the house watched in confusion. "Guess there's no stoppin' her." Phil pointed out, as Pookey walked in, carrying some dinner rolls. "Why, where's Eleanor?" Arnold just laid his head on his hand, wondering if his response to her apology had anything to do with her bailing on dinner.

Upstairs in his room, Helga laid on his bed, thoughts racing through her mind. She was always so rough with Arnold, yet all she ever had to do was apologize. Just like that, the situation in his mind was forgotten. He didn't hold grudges, or expect things in return. All he wanted was to help people with their problems. She had never known a more kind-hearted soul in her life.

A moment later, Helga heard a knock on the door. Quickly sitting up, she said, "Come in?" feeling awkward to be saying that in a room that wasn't technically hers.

"It's me. I just wanted to make sure you were okay." Arnold said softly as she turned away.

"I'm fine...and it's your room. What makes you think you should have to knock?" she scowled.

Still standing in the doorway, as he peered across the room at her. Seeing her sitting on the bed with crossed arms and one leg over the other. With an upsetting look on her face, he put his hand behind his head. "I just thought you'd like some privacy is all."

She relaxed her body, uncrossing her limbs, dropping her face as she thought to herself _There he goes again; my beloved. Always putting others before yourself. Oh why can't I be more like you? What is it inside you that always pushes you to do the right thing? Always allowing yourself to think of others? Pushing aside the thought of any negative or unruly behavior that may approach you. Why can't I allow my kindness to rise to your level? Forever I shall always see myself as the barrier which blocks the loving key your soul will always hold to my heart._

"Helga? Helga!" she began to hear, coming out of her daze. Snapping out of it, she saw her beloved standing only a few inches from her face.

"Huh? What!" she scowled as her eyes grew wide with fear.

Arnold drew back a bit, not wanting to make her any angrier. "You kinda zoned out there for a minute. I just wanted wanted to make sure everything was okay."

"Yeah, yeah. Go eat your dinner." she suggested, not caring how she sounded.

Sitting down beside her, placing an arm around her, he said, "We're actually finished. I just wanted to be with you."

Looking towards him, she saw the loving smile on his face and quietly responded, "Oh...what did you want to do?"

Sitting there, not sure of how to answer that, Helga finished for him. "You should probably study for your math test." she suggested, rubbing the back of her neck.

Seeing the look of disappointment in his eyes, she kissed him. Wrapping her arms around him, she thought to herself _One minute I'm scowling at him, the next I've got my tongue down his throat. What is he doing with me?_

Pulling away from each other, the two locked eyes as Helga said, "You really should study. I have to make those corrections on my poem anyway."

Placing her hand on his heart, he rubbed it and said, "Don't change too much about it."

Pulling her hand away from his, she rolled her eyes at his remark and said, "Whatever football head."

Arnold walked over to his desk with his math book. Keeping his eyes on his least favorite subject while the woman of his dreams was in his bedroom was not the easiest thing in the world for him. He sat at the desk occasionally glancing at her making corrections with her "trusty purple pen."

Within the next hour or so, they both noticed how late it had gotten. Arnold began changing his clothes, not having bothered to look at his phone all night.

By the time he finished changing, Helga was already changed and under the covers. Sliding in beside her, she asked, "So, what special plans do you have in store for us tomorrow, football head?"

Laying a hand on her shoulder, he gave a weak smile and said, "You'll just have to wait and see!"

With that, the two of them held each other tight, under the stars and moonlit ceiling. Before they knew it, they were both asleep.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17: Don't Act So Surprised

The next morning, Helga and Arnold got up and began getting dressed. Only this time, Arnold was in the lead. He noticed Helga taking her time, and couldn't help but feel a bit concerned. "Is everything okay Helga? You're normally downstairs by now?"

Realizing he was right, she looked away and said, "I'm fine. Just a little tired I guess."

Feeling suspicious, he didn't want to question her. "Okay then, I'll meet you downstairs."

After getting dressed, she sat on his bed thinking about the way she treated him the previous night. All he ever wanted was to be a part of her life. After all, that was what a relationship was. She was getting the hang of opening up in public, so why couldn't she get used to the idea of showing her true feelings for him TO him… especially when he already knew what they were?

Nearly finishing his meal, Arnold saw Helga approaching the table. "Eleanor, we were worried you wouldn't make it!" Pookey exclaimed as Phil rolled his eyes. "She was smart to stay away as long as she did." he countered.

As hungry as Helga was from not eating the day before, she took her time. Arnold watched her slowly taking her bites, until finally she noticed. "What are you staring at?!" she couldn't help but ask with an irritated tone.

"I'm just surprised to see you eating so…." he hesitated to finish his sentence until Phil jumped in.

"Politely! I know, it surprises me too, shortman!" Phil chuckled as Arnold screamed "Grandpa!"

"Nah it's cool. You were right football head. I do need to learn table manners. Well, you ready to get going?" she asked, not caring about their remarks.

Arnold followed her, waving goodbye to his family. When they made it outside, she held out her hand for his, but kept a straight face. After a moment's silence, he decided the best thing to do would be to ask what was bothering her. Just as he got the chance, Phoebe and Gerald approached them at the bus stop.

"Hey Arnold! How come you never called me back man? I left you like ten messages!" Gerald exclaimed as Arnold pulled out his phone. Looking at the list of missed calls, he said "Oh umm sorry Gerald, I just got busy."

Not believing his excuse, Gerald responded, "Whatever you say. I need to tell you something. Let's let the girls sit together, while you and me sit alone."

Expecting to be accused of deserting her again, Arnold noticed Helga not seeming to care. "Uhh sure." he said.

As they entered the bus, the girls headed for the back, while the boys remained up front. "So, what's so important Gerald?" Arnold asked, not being able to take his mind off Helga's quiet behavior.

"Well, if you hadn't run off on me yesterday…" Gerald began to remind him "You would have heard me say that Amanda found your engagement ring!"

Nearly jumping out of his seat, he screamed, "That's great, where is she!"

Before having a chance to look, Gerald grabbed him and said, "Hold it there Romeo. It's not that simple."

Arnold calmed himself as he looked at Gerald to ask, "What are you talking about?"

Sighing at Arnold's density, he replied, "You know this girl's got the hot's for you don't you?"

Giving a questioning look, he shrugged his shoulders and replied, "She's never said anything."

"Well she does! Not only that, she's not giving the ring back unless you go on a date with her." Gerald pointed his finger at Arnold, showing him the seriousness of the situation.

"What?! How do you even know all this?" Arnold asked, in complete shock.

"She said it slipped out of your bag when you were on your way into Calculus. When I was about to head towards my class, she was standing behind me holding it. Before I could take it back from her, she explained how she wanted things to go down." Gerald explained

"This is bad Gerald!" Arnold insisted, placing his face into both of his hands.

Placing a hand on his friend's back, he said, "Relax man! Helga doesn't need a ring. Between the house and the way you put up with her pessimistic behavior, I'd say you've given that girl plenty!"

Arnold sat up to look at his friend. "I have to get that ring back Gerald! Bob wouldn't hire me. When I told him I already bought the ring, he said I had no choice but to hand it over to him."

"Mm..mm..mmm! But wait, why didn't he hire you? I'd say that guy could use all the help he could get at this point!" Gerald assumed.

Arnold rolled his eyes as he explained, "Apparently Big Gino and his gang are fit to be better sales people than me."

"Well, just tell Helga you're going out on a date with her. She'll understand. As crazy as that girl is, you know she's even crazier about you." Gerald pointed out.

Leaning his head back in the seat, Arnold explained, "I don't WANT her to know Gerald. The whole point of this week was for me to surprise her with the proposal on Friday. If I go out with Amanda and not tell Helga, it's just going to seem so dishonest."

"Hmmm...Okay, here's the plan. Tell her you two are going to the library for your English homework. Let Amanda think it's a date. Helga will know you're just doing homework, but Amanda gets to spend time with you!" Gerald said proudly.

Arnold sighed, looking down at the bus floor again. "I guess I have no choice."

Seeing Arnold's head hang low, and her best friend acting quiet, Phoebe couldn't help but ask, "Is everything alright Helga."

Not being one to open up easily, she responded, "Just peachy."

Hoping to get more information out of her, Phoebe continued, "How was your special evening together?"

Helga crossed over her leg with her arm reaching across the back of the seat. "All we did was go to the park and look at Mighty Pete. If you can call that special?"

"Well, special moments really pertain more to who they're spent with, as opposed to what they involve." she pointed out.

Helga straightened out her posture and focused her attention on the floor. "Pheeps. I can't figure out why Arnold would want to be with me? I'm so mean to him. Yes there are times I let my sensitive side show, but is that REALLY enough to outweigh my negative side?"

Smiling at her concerned friends ability to open up, Phoebe responded, "Helga, relationships often work _because_ the couples are different."

Cocking part of her eyebrow, Helga continued to listen to her intelligent friend.

"Yes, the saying 'birds of a feather flock together' is true, but the saying 'opposites attract' is just as accurate."

"How do you figure?" Helga asked in disbelief.

"Well, two differences can complement one another. Yin and Yang, peanut butter and jelly, ketchup and mustard. One without the other just isn't complete. Arnold possesses the ability to show people the emotions you seem to only be capable of hiding. On the other hand, you possess the skills to stand up to those threatening you, when sensitivity just isn't enough." Phoebe explained as her best friend began to smile at her.

The bus pulled up at the school, and all the kids left for another exciting day of classes.

Arnold wanted to walk Helga to class, but didn't want to see her with Amanda. Gerald looked over at him when he saw he wasn't waiting up for Helga, "Aren't you going to wait for you lady?"

"I have to talk to Amanda, but she's in Helga's class. I'm wondering if I should save it for lunch?" Arnold suggested.

Gerald looked back at the two girls, not seeming to care the guys hadn't waited for them. "I guess there's no harm in it. Good luck buddy."

Helga made it to her classroom, a bit hurt Arnold hadn't waited for her, yet comforted by Phoebe's words. Walking into class, she was shocked to find the teacher already inside.

"Now class, I hope everyone is moving along well with their poems." The teacher asked.

Thinking about how much influence the previous day had had on Helga's idea for the changes she would be making to her poem, she ignored what she heard next.

"Can the thing we write about be a person?" asked a perky redhead sitting just a few seats away from her.

"Of course! Whatever fills your heart with content; your life with excitement; your…"

As interesting as the topic was, Helga just couldn't remain focused. All she could think about was what Phoebe had said on the bus _Two differences can complement one another._

Leaning back in her seat, she thought to herself _Do I really complement Arnold?_

Class finally ended, and lunch came soon enough. Not soon enough for Arnold however. All through English class, he had been staring at Amanda, knowing somewhere in her backpack, possibly her purse, was Helga's engagement ring. If only he knew exactly where she had it? He could sneak it away from her, and avoid confronting her completely. Unfortunately, that wasn't how it worked out.

Standing in the hallway, Gerald passed by him. "Hey man, you find Amanda yet?"

Arnold avoided eye contact with Gerald, not wanting to miss Amanda, as he responded, "Not yet."

"Okay, well. Good luck buddy." Gerald wished him once again, as he headed to the cafeteria to see the girls.

Making it there, Gerald saw Phoebe sitting alone in the cafeteria. Approaching her, he asked, "Hey babe, where's Helga?"

Not having seen her since the bus that morning, Phoebe responded, "I'm certain I don't know. Where is Arnold?" Gerald looked away as he rubbed the back of his neck and said, "He's uh… on his way. How about I buy us some sandwiches?" Looking at him with half lidded eyes, she responded, "That would be delightful."

As he walked towards the lunchline, he saw Arnold standing there. "Hey Arnold! What's up? Did you talk to Amanda?"

Arnold sighed as he replied, "I never found her. I figured I'd just come here and buy Helga some lunch. I already ignored her this morning."

Frowning at him, he responded, "A nice thought, but also a pointless one."

Arnold raised an eyebrow as he asked, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Phoebe and I haven't seen her since we got here." Gerald said, hoping not to worry his friend to much.

Arnold then left the line and went searching the halls for his girlfriend. Not seeing anyone, he heard a noise coming from the girls bathroom. Approaching it, he saw both Helga and Amanda exiting together. Gulping at the thought of approaching the two of them, he couldn't walk, allowing himself to run.

"Hey...Hey Helga. You okay?" he asked, as Amanda wouldn't allow herself to take her eyes off him.

Helga crossed her arms at his remark and said, "Yeah, except for a certain someone who won't stop bugging me about a certain something."

Not knowing how much Amanda had been raving Helga about their poem, he simply shrugged his shoulders at her. All he could do was pray nothing about the ring had been mentioned.

Barely able to get the words out, Arnold asked "Amanda, do you want to go to the library after school to work on our English homework?"

Helga kept her arms crossed as she glared at Arnold. "Blowing me off again, huh football head?"

Before Arnold could react, Amanda jumped in. "That's not a very nice thing to do to your fiance Arnold!"

Arnold's eyes widened as far as they could, while his face turned pale. All he could do was wait for Helga's reaction. Rather than responding, she stood there like a deer caught in the headlights.

"Didn't you know, Helga? He bought you this oh so lovely ring here. Guess the two of you have a lot to talk about." Placing the ring in Arnold's hand, Amanda happily walked off, sure the situation wouldn't end well for the two of them.

"I'm so sorry Helga! It wasn't supposed to happen like this! I wanted to propose at the end of the week, after I'd taken you to all our special places." Arnold felt his knees growing weak, afraid she would run away.

Looking at the ring, Helga was finally able to speak. "How could you even afford this?"

Having to force the words out, Arnold was finally able to answer, "I got your dad to lend me the money. He said I could work off the debt. Then he decided to hire Big Gino and his gang. So I have no choice but to give the ring back."

"Pttss...leave it to Bob to make a bad deal." Helga said, holding her free hand on her waist.

Immediately tilting his head up, with a confused look, he said, "You mean you're not upset?"

Helga continued to look at the ring as she asked, "Where were you planning to propose?"

His head falling right back to the ground, he confessed, "The FTi building."

She smiled, not being able to help rolling her eyes about the night she confessed her feelings to him there. "Alright Romeo, here's the plan. You go to the library with Amanda after school. I'll go back to the boarding house to finish my homework. Then we'll meet at FTi at 6. Deal?"

"Wait? Are you saying?" Arnold asked, lifting an eyebrow.

"Yes football head, I accept your pathetically planned out proposal. Not let's get back to the cafeteria" she said, just as the bell rang.

"Or back to class." Arnold corrected her.

"Shut up football head!" she pushed him, as he grabbed her and kissed her passionately, not caring who saw them. The two of them stood their together thinking to themselves, _We have finally reached our destination!_

They let go of each other just as the swarm of students entered the halls. Arnold waved goodbye to Helga, just as Gerald approached him.

"So, I see you found Helga. Did you ever find Amanda?" Gerald asked, anxiously awaiting an answer.

Arnold rubbed the back of his neck, as he said, "Actually, they were together."

Shaking his head at the thought, Gerald said, "Mm.. . Well, were you able to get the ring?"

"She actually gave it to me." Arnold told him, leaving out the details.

"Gave it to you? What was the catch?" Gerald asked, knowing there had to be one.

"She did it in front of Helga; revealing I intended on proposing to her." Arnold sighed at the thought of his previous plans being ruined.

Gerald once again shook his head. "Wow! So how did she take it? Both of them that is."

"Helga accepted my proposal and is meeting me at FTi tonight. I don't know what she could be planning for us there. I told her I have to give the ring back to her dad? I'm still meeting Amanda at the library after school. She can think it's a date if she wants, but I'm just going to get my homework done." Arnold explained, as Gerald listened in shock.

" .mmm. Mrs. Helga Shortman OR Mr. Arnold Pataki? Which do you like better?" Gerald asked, trying to hide his laughter.

Rolling his eyes at the unnecessary sarcasm, Arnold said, "Here's my class. I'll see you later."

Still having a huge smile on his face, he responded, "Alright, good luck tonight buddy."

Every now and then Arnold would glance at the board, making sure no new information had been added for their test. Aside from the occasional stare, just knowing he was already familiar with the information was enough to keep him happy. He put the rest of his mind's attention on what Helga may be waiting to show or tell him. After thinking about it, he realized the two of them hadn't been up there together, since the night she confessed to him.

When class let out, Arnold realized he had never asked Amanda if they would meet outside school or at the library. Not caring if he saw her or not, he just decided to head for the library.

Walking there alone, he thought to himself _Technically, Helga already accepted my proposal… which means, I'm officially engaged!_

Being so overwhelmed by the thought, he didn't pay any attention to where he was going. Upon reaching the library, he had no memory of how he made it there. As he was getting ready to reach for the door, he heard "So, ready for our date, Arnold?"

Turning around, he saw Amanda holding her English book in one hand and a notebook in the other.

"Uhh sure? What is it we have to do again?" Arnold asked, still not having completely snapped out of his trance.

Placing her hand on his shoulder, she responded, "We're supposed to answer the review questions at the end of today's chapter."

The two of them walked in and took a seat. As Arnold tried sitting quietly, doing the work on his own, Amanda looked for every possible opportunity to bother him.

"I'm not sure I understand this? What's the answer here? Did you find the information we need for this question?" she went on until he had practically chewed the eraser off his pencil.

When they finally reached the end, Arnold got up and said, "Okay, we're through. See you tomorrow."

Amanda quickly grabbed her things as she chased after him. "Wait Arnold, I think you forgot something!"

Not knowing what she could be talking about, he turned around, only to find her planting her lips on top of his. Struggling to pull away only made her press harder. It reminded him of Helga's first confession.

Finally releasing him, she said, "Now you can go." giggling as she waved goodbye to him. While watching her walk out the library door, Arnold remained frozen. As if it wasn't bad enough Helga already knew about his proposal, and would have no ring to give her tonight. The only surprise of the night for her would be Arnold confessing to her on the roof of their first kiss, that another girl kissed him, the day of their proposal.

When he snapped out of his thoughts, he left the library to head for the FTi building.

Meanwhile, Helga was still at the boarding house, rewriting her poem. Within the last day or so, Arnold had answered all of her questions. He was indeed her inspiration because of his kind heart, his forgiving nature, and willingness to put everyone else's needs ahead of his own.

 _Arnold My Love_

 _Each day I see you find a new way to open your heart to another._

 _To put aside your own troubles, and bring peace to us all._

 _Forgiving those who've shown you no mercy._

 _Shining your bright light where you see the darkness fall._

 _Nothing more exists in you than forgiveness, grace, and humanity._

Her heart flutters as she pictured his face, knowing every word to be true. Holding her work close to her chest, she glanced at her watch. Seeing she had only ten minutes to get to the FTi building, she grabbed her things, and raced out the door.

Helga made it to the old building just as she saw Arnold walking up to it with his head hanging low. Slowly dragging his feet, as if he was dreading doing this. A concerned look took over her face, as she hurried over to see him. "Hey Arnold. You ready?"

"Umm...yeah, Helga. I am." he responded looking away, not sure how he should break the news.

Still standing at the front doors of the building, she glared at him with a hand on her waist. "Look Arnoldo, you're always getting onto me about hiding my emotions. So, if you've got something to say...just spit it out!"

Knowing she was right, Arnold looked up at her, making eye contact for as long as possible. "Amanda kissed me."

Helga dropped her hands as her eyes widened. "What?"

Letting out a sigh, knowing things wouldn't end well, Arnold continued to explain. "I was leaving the library, as quickly as I could. Then she told me I forgot something. I turned around and she grabbed me to kiss me. Struggling just made her kiss me harder...it kind of reminded me of the first time you kissed me." Arnold began to rub the back of his neck, hoping she would find some humor in it.

She rolled her eyes at the thought of Amanda thinking she could get him. Also at the idea of him thinking Helga had no forgiving nature in her whatsoever. She knew she couldn't blame him however. Taking his hand, she looked at him and said, "Come on, let's go up."

Immediately, he shot his head up and asked, "Wait? You're not mad?"

She scoffed at his remark and replied, "I will be if we stand outside the door the rest of the night."

Pulling it open with one arm, she dragged Arnold behind her with the other. Wondering the halls brought back memories for the both of them. "I can't believe they left this place unlocked." Arnold said.

Shrugging her shoulder, while still managing to keep up her pace, Helga replied, "I don't think it has any real use anymore."

As they passed the document room, Arnold said, "I can't believe how long it took Gerald and I to get the right file cabinet!" Helga simply rolled her eyes at the idea and said, "Yeah, well, if you two idiots had started from the bottom, you wouldn't have wasted half your night!"

Continuing down the hallway, Arnold looked at her hurried expression and said, "Maybe, but the night might also not have been as special as it was, if we had done that."

At last, they made it to the roof. The stress Arnold felt from the idea of how to make this moment happen was finally gone, while Helga still appeared to be full of tension.

Arnold looked at her standing at the corner of the building she stood in when she began trying to come clean about her feelings for him. Walking over to her, he placed a hand on her shoulder and said, "Well, this is it! I'm sorry the surprise got ruined...and I'm sorry I don't have a ring to give you...and."

Helga turned to interrupt him. "Sheesh, this has got to be the most depressing proposal in the history of mankind!"

Laughing at her remark, Arnold tried to think of what to say. Suddenly he saw her bag in the corner. "Yeah, I guess you're right. So, why did you bring your backpack? I mean, you came from the boarding house didn't you?"

Normally, Helga would try to hide something personal from him, but they were about to be engaged. What was she going to do, keep secrets from him for the rest of her life? She began to shake as she took out her poem, she had rewritten about him.

"Well, I uh...just thought I could find some way to make the night more special. You know, since that IDIOT REDHEAD had to go and ruin it! Sheesh! What is it with you and those girls?"

His smile grew bigger as he saw her trying to open up to him. "So, what is that in your hand?"

"It's...It's the poem I rewrote for class. You know... about you." she gulped, trying her hardest not to look away.

His eyes lit up as he saw her beginning to hand it over to him. When she felt no gesture to take it from her, she looked up. "Well? Did you not want to read it?"

Continuing to look at the woman he loved, he asked. "You know what would really make this night special?"

Knowing where he was going with this, she still managed to shake her head in confusion.

"If YOU read it to me!"

Sighing in discomfort, she replied, "Crimeny! I knew you were going to say that. Is this what marriage is going to be like football head? Always having to have things YOUR way?"

Rolling his eyes at her, he said, "If It's anything like the past fourteen years we've known each other, I'm sure everything will still be going YOUR way."

Beginning to tremble, she took a deep breath as she looked down at the paper. Before she could start, she felt his hand on hers. Suddenly, the tension left her body, as her eyes rested on his. She felt her heart flutter, and was once again reminded of the wonderful feelings of joy and comfort he brought to her whenever the world would pile her with feelings of emptiness and hopelessness.

"Okay football head, here it is…"

 _Arnold My Love_

 _Each day I see you find a new way to open your heart to another._

 _To put aside your own troubles and bring peace to us all._

 _Forgiving those who've shown you no mercy._

 _Shining your bright light where you see the darkness fall._

 _Nothing more exists in you than forgiveness, grace and humanity._

By the time she finished, her cheeks were red as could be. Not being able to look at him, he turned her face towards him and said, "I wish I had something as beautiful as that to give to you."

Filled with anticipation, she responded, "I think I can help with that."

He raised an eyebrow at her, watching as she placed her assignment in her bag, and pulled out something, too tiny to see. Clenching it in her phist, he asked, "What do you have in your hand?"

Still not showing it to him, she began to explain. "You know how tight Geraldo and Pheebs are. If you don't want the beans spilled to me about something, don't waste your time telling him."

Arnold smiled, still not knowing where she was going with this.

"After you left the arcade Friday, Tall Hair Boy texted Pheebs, telling her about the ring. Also about the financial problems you would be having getting it. Therefore, after he said you ran out of there, Pheebs and I went over to join him."

Looking as though she finished her story, Arnold asked, "So, what does that have to do with what's in your hand?"

Rolling her eyes at his density, she pulled out a plastic ring to give to him. "Geraldo may THINK he's the master of Runaway Bus Driver, but I KNOW I'm the master of…. The CLAW MACHINE!"

Taking it from her, he bent down on his knee. Watching her hand shake as he began to slide it on her finger, he thought to himself, _How could she not want the world to know what a caring heart she has?_

Feeling his voice shake at the same pace as her hand, he managed to get the words out. "Helga G. Pataki, will you marry me?"

Looking at his emerald green eyes, she couldn't believe the boy she tormented, tortured, and publically humiliated all those years, had at last fallen in love with her! The boy she longed for was able to see through her tough exterior, and believe her sensitive side was enough to outweigh her evil, vindictive, attitude. Enough to make him want to hold onto her forever.

"Yes...Arnold!" she screamed with a grin on her face the size of his head.

Arnold then stood up and pulled her tight to kiss her as long as she kissed him their first time together on the roof. Feeling her head spin, she thought about how amazing it felt to finally have someone in her life care about her the way she always hoped they would. No more fantasizing, her dreams were coming true!

Letting her go, he looked at her once again red cheeks and listened to her say, "Sheesh Arnoldo! Once wasn't enough for you?"

He could then feel his face turning a bit red, as he moved his hand behind his head, and said, "Uhh guess not."

Watching her look down at the plastic ring on her finger, he sighed and said, "I guess I have to give the ring back now."

Thinking about how angry her parents made her. How Arnold had told them about the special thing he was doing for their daughter, and they couldn't care less. A frown grew on her face as she looked up at him and asked, "Says who?"

Still holding her hands, Arnold gave her a confused look as he said, "Your dad? Remember, he wouldn't hire me."

Helga snarled at his words, taking her hands back and placing them on her hips. "Who cares what Bob says! That man has never done anything for me! I bet anything, just because you bought that ring for ME, he's forgotten all about it."

The last thing Arnold wanted was to hurt Helga, being the skeptical person he is however, he couldn't take a chance. "Helga, I can't risk him coming after us. Someone could get hurt."

Rolling her eyes at his skepticism, she said, "Fine football head. Give the loser salesman what he wants!"

Hoping he hadn't ruined the moment too much, he kissed her again and said, "Thanks. I love you!"

Feeling her face turn red again, she put a hand to her cheek and said, "Yeah, yeah I love you too. Let's go before someone sees us."

Leaving the building, the two of them held hands wondering what school would be like the next day. "So, everyone's going to see you with that ring on tomorrow. You going to be able to handle the attention...even if it is plastic?" Arnold asked.

Helga looked at him sternly, as if he had insulted her. "What are you talking about? I can handle anything! If anyone tries to give me any trouble...this stone will just make my punch hurt even more!"

Arnold gave a look of disbelief as he pointed out, "I don't think plastic will add TOO much to the pain Helga."

Glaring at him, she replied, "Oh what do you know football head? You want to be the first to test it out?!"

Smiling at her hostility, he asked, "I told you this was what marriage would be like."

Not being able to overlook his usual ability to point out flaws, she forced herself to calm down. Putting her free hand on the back of her neck, she broke the silence by asking "So, I'm guessing you had someplace special planned for tonight, before Amanda changed our plans?"

Arnold had begun to forget about all the places he planned for them to go. After reaching his destination of proposing to her, he couldn't imagine making the week anymore special. "Well, the only other places on my list were Elk Island, Gerald Field, and Dino Land?"

Helga pondered this as they continued to walk down the street towards Arnold's place. Before she could answer, they passed Big Bob's Beepers. Bob and Big Gino were replacing the sign with one that read, "Big Bob's Appliances."

As Arnold pointed this out to her, she placed a hand on her hip and commented, "Guess the loser couldn't come up with as creative a title for this new store. Oh brother!"

Arnold sighed, letting go of her hand. "Well, I guess I'll go give the ring back."

Helga's anger began to build up as she once again thought about how Bob had always cared more about his work than her. He never asked her about school, her personal life, or could even remember her name! Before Arnold could step into the street, she placed a hand on his shoulder.

"No Arnold! Let me take care of this!" she insisted, marching over there with clenched fists and an angry glare, as she saw Bob pestering Gino about the way the store's sign needed to be hung.

"Now I want that sign hanging directly in the center above the door! It has to look perfe.." Bob demanded as he felt a tap on his shoulder. He then turned around to see Helga standing there with her hands on her hips and an angry look on her face.

"Huh? Oh hey Olga." Bob said, with an unexcited look.

"Listen up Bob! I've got something to say!" Helga demanded, as she noticed Bob starting to turn away from her.

"Fine, but make it snappy would ya? We've got work to do here!" Bob insisted irritably, making it clear he had no more interest in her news than he'd ever had in her.

"I know you've never cared about me!" she began, as he interrupted.

"What are you talking about? I've always cared about you Olga!" Bob snapped, turning to face her completely with his hands on his hips.

Smacking her head, she scowled. "You see? You can't even get my name right! It's Helga, dad! Helga! H-E-L-G-A!" Their fight grew so loud, Arnold could hear them from across the street.

"Right, right, Helga. So, that's what you came to tell me?! Your stinkin' name?!" Bob exclaimed.

"No! I came to tell you I'm getting married!" she exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air.

"No way, am I paying for any stinkin' wedding! You should be here running this place with me anyway! Not wasting your time with that orphan kid!" Bob responded.

"One, he has parents now. Two, you can't tell me what to do, since you obviously don't even consider me good enough to be your daughter. Three, if you care about me even the slightest bit, you'll prove it by showing up at the wedding!" she shouted, not lowering her tone as she pointed a finger at him.

Marching away from him, she went back to Arnold's side of the street. Still having an angry look on her face, she turned and said to him. "Told you he wouldn't care!"

Arnold took her hand in both of his as he looked at her disappointed face. "I'm sorry he treats you that way Helga, but you don't have to worry anymore. I'll always be here for you."

The two of them kept walking in the direction of what would now be considered to Helga 'home.'

"So, did you figure out what you want to do?" Arnold asked, hoping not to pressure her.

Well, I was thinking about your 'special places.'" she began, as he gave her his full attention.

"I was also thinking about how you said, tomorrow there will be no more hiding what's going on between the two of us. Therefore, why don't we go home, and make a list of everyone we'd like to have at the wedding. Along with the list of places we'd like to have the wedding, rehearsal, shower, you know all that fancy stuff at."

She finished her idea as they made it to the boarding house. Stopping in front of it, he pulled her close to give her a hug. "I'd like that a lot." he said, smiling at her.

"Come on football head, let's go ins…" as she was about to open the door, a thought popped into her head.

"What's wrong Helga?" Arnold asked anxiously, noticing her facial expression.

"Do you think your parents should know about this yet? Will it be too big a shocker for them?" Helga asked, as she began to hold her hand with the plastic ring. Arnold reached down into his bag as he pulled out the real one. Replacing the plastic one with the real one, he said, "I know they'll be as happy for us as I am to have you!"

Watching her let out a lovesick sigh, Arnold took her inside. "Mom! Dad!" he called out, but didn't receive a response.

Full of relief, Helga continued to follow, until he saw his grandpa reading the paper in the kitchen. "Hey shortman! Whatcha been doin' all afternoon?"

Rather than explaining, Arnold held up Helga's hand with the engagement ring. Hard as she was shaking, he still managed to see what it was.

"What in the blue blazez?! You got money for a gemstone that big but not for an extra slice of pizza?!" Phil said as Helga rolled to her eyes, thinking to herself _Crimmeny, will he EVER get over that?!_

Settling back in his chair, Phil asked, "So, you two started plannin' the honeymoon yet?" winking at the two of them.

Helga put her hands behind her back, as Arnold rubbed his arm and responded, "We were actually just about to make the list of people to invite to the wedding."

"Hmmm….Alright, but your grandma and I better get a front row seat. Actually, put her somewhere in the back. You never know what she may choose to wear." Phil said sarcastically as Arnold rolled his eyes.

"Uh right grandpa. We'll be upstairs." he said, as he followed Helga up to his room.

Making it into his bedroom, Helga looked down at her ring and said to Arnold, "Well one thing's for sure. We better make sure to serve pizza at the reception!"

Blushing at her remark, Arnold went to his desk to pull out some pens and paper to write down their information on.

Making herself comfortable on his bed, Helga patted for him to take a seat beside her and said, "Well, let's get to it football head!"

Staring at her with her long crossed legs hanging over his bed, wearing her broken in jeans she found to be fashionable yet comfortable enough to withhold her reputation in public. Watching her golden hair flow down her shoulders as she released it from her hair ties. Anxiously awaiting his presence in their project as she motioned for him with the hand wearing the ring he had bought for her. He thought to himself, _That's my future wife I'm looking looking at!_

"Uhhh….right! Here I come." He assured her, making his way towards the bed.

Spilling out ideas, as if she had been planning this for weeks, Helga explained, "Well, the first thing we'll need to focus on is where to spill the beans to everyone."

Arnold put his pencil to his mouth, looking up at the ceiling for a moment. Before he could make a suggestion, Helga butted in.

"Then again, wearing my ring tomorrow is going to cause a riot anyhow. Half our friends are sure to figure it out that way!"

Nodding his head at her logic, Arnold replied, "Yeah, I suppose that's true."

Not having lifted her head up from her notepad, Helga began erasing her ideas and continued, "Which means we can go ahead and plan the wedding shower!"

Arnold was amazed at how ready for this she was. Just the thought of holding hands in public had petrified her a week ago. Now she was head over heels about the idea of announcing their union in front of their friends.

"Uhh okay." sounds great, he responded, leaning back against the wall.

Noticing the sudden lack of enthusiasm for the project in his voice, Helga looked up from her notepad and asked, "Is something wrong?"

Arnold began to straighten up as he replied, "I'm just surprised at how excited you are about this. I was petrified you wouldn't want to marry me. My heart told me there would be no risk in asking you however. I thought for sure if you said yes, I would have to expect a 'secret proposal'."

Helga lowered her head, closing her eyes. She knew exactly what he was talking about. "I understand what you mean. I haven't made it easy for us. I guess I just finally realized keeping a silly high school relationship a secret is one thing. If I'm going to be married to the man of my dreams however, I need to suck it up and put my reputation aside. At least, use it in a way that won't let people get to me."

Arnold began to smile as he heard these words, not knowing how to respond. Before he could think of what to say, she continued.

"If you're not ready, or regret what happened back there, I understand." she said, as she began to take the ring off.

Widening his eyes at her remark, Arnold grabbed her hands and said, "Helga! That's not what I meant at all! I just don't want you to feel pressured into doing anything you don't want to do. To be honest, I feel a bit guilty for everything I've done to you lately. I feel like I've tried to change you, when all I was really trying to do was help you understand it's okay to show the world who you are inside. You don't have to put on the tough act if you don't want to. You seem to be doing it JUST because you don't want others judging you; because you fear they won't accept the real you."

Helga began to lift her head as he continued. Tears rolling down her face.

"I guess you've just been doing it for so long, that's what makes you comfortable now. You feel that rough exterior IS a part of who you are. I'm sure it is. I just wanted you to see, it's not the ONLY part of who you are."

As he finished, Helga looked up at him with red cheeks and an angry expression.

"Then why is it, every time I try to show my sensitive side, you don't think I should? You can tell it's not what makes me comfortable, so you tell me to just give in and be rough. Then when I do that, you once again tell me, 'Don't be afraid to show who you are?' I mean crimmeny football head! What's it going to take? What am I doing wrong?! Here I am accepting your proposal, acting happy, wanting to show our friends, and now YOU'RE acting as though I'm still not good enough for you?!" she scowled

Arnold sighed, knowing she was right. Before he could respond, she headed for the door. "Helga wait! I'm sorry! That's not how I meant to make you feel at all!"

Throwing the ring back at him, just as she was exiting, she said, "Yeah, well...YOU DID!"

Seeing her stomp down the hall, as he was still reading in the kitchen, Phil turned his head to ask, "Hey shortman's girlfriend! Finished with the plans already? Or did you two just go over the honeymoon?" he winked at her.

Ignoring his remark, Helga stomped out the door. By the time Arnold had made it halfway downstairs, she was gone.

Seeing his grandson sigh, Phil turned his head to say, "Hey shortman, you just missed your girlfriend."

Dropping his head, Arnold came into the kitchen. "Grandpa, I really messed things up!"

"Oh! How so?" Phil asked, setting his paper aside.

"For the past two weeks now, I've tried helping Helga see who she really is…" Arnold began as Phil wittingly interrupted.

"You mean a cranky little know it all?"

Arnold sighed at his remark. "No, grandpa! The exact opposite! I've tried telling her to not be afraid to let everyone see her sensitive side."

"Nothing wrong with that. I'd say you're doing the world a favor!" Phil insisted.

"When she follows my advice though, I can tell she's not happy, and I don't want to do anything to make her uncomfortable!. I guess I just wish there was a way I could MAKE her feel happy and comfortable showing people that side of herself." Arnold explained, dropping both his head and arms towards the floor, feeling defeat.

Phil rubbed his chin, looking up at the ceiling. "Hmmm…. Well shortman, you can't make someone feel a certain way if they don't want to. You can give them advice. You can support them if they take it, but you can't make them enjoy it. If she learns to like what you're telling her she's capable of, she'll figure out her own way of doing it. All you can really do is let her know you'll stand by her through it. If you two really love each other, you won't let other people's opinions ruin your relationship."

Arnold was both happy and shocked at Phil's advice. Never had he heard such helpful and serious words come from him...that didn't include raspberries.

"Thanks grandpa! You've given me a lot to think about!" Arnold said, as he started heading for the door. Beginning to turn the knob, he thought to himself _Maybe I should give her time to cool off._

Meanwhile, Helga was walking down the street as she saw Phoebe leaving the library. "Hey Pheebs!" She shouted, from a distance.

Phoebe ran over to see how things were going for Helga, knowing about Arnold's proposal. "Okay I guess. Arnold proposed, I accepted, we went home to make plans, got in a fight, I threw the ring in his face, and now here I am with you." Helga calmly explained shrugging her shoulders.

Phoebe's eyes widened at the news, nearly dropping her books. "Oh my! So does that mean you two…"

Helga sighed, looking at the ground. "I don't know anymore Pheebs. If I be myself, he's disappointed. If I act how he wants me to, he's feels guilty."

Phoebe gave a puzzled look as she responded, "Well, how do YOU feel about yourself? Which attitude makes you happiest?"

Stopping for a moment to think, she replied, "I don't like hurting other people. It's just something they expect of me...crazy as it sounds. Meaning if I don't act that way, I have to expect being made fun of. Who would want that?"

Seeing her point, Phoebe asked, "Well has Arnold yet explained which side of you makes him happiest? Or is he just pushing you because he's worried about you?"

Still not making eye contact, Helga kicked a rock nearby. "He's told me a few times now he just doesn't want me to let other people make me afraid to show who I am. I guess I never really asked how HE felt about me."

Seeing the troubled look on her best friend's face, Phoebe said, "Well, would you like to spend the night at my place?"

Helga gave a smile as she replied, "Sure Pheebs, sounds great."

As the two girls headed for Phoebe's house, Arnold sat back in his room on his bed. He looked at his Calculus, thinking to himself, _Helga's the only reason I understand this._ Feeling he had studied more than his mind would let him focus on, he decided to call Gerald.

The phone rang quite a few times as Arnold twisted the wire, thinking to himself, _Please be home!_

Finally, a voice on the other line picked up. "Hello"

"Oh, Hey Mrs. Johanson, is Gerald home?" Arnold asked nervously.

"I'm sorry Arnold, he's playing baseball with some of your friends." she replied.

As the two of them hung up, Arnold thought to himself _I'm sure they're at Gerald field. If I go over there though, everyone's going to find out about the proposal. She may not even want to marry me anymore though?_

Before he knew it, Arnold was heading out the door to Gerald field. There he saw Gerald, Sid, and Stinky.

"Hey Arnold, what in the heck are you doin' here?" Stinky asked, cluelessly.

"Yeah man, I thought you had plans with Helga tonight." Gerald said.

Looking at the three of them, Arnold said quietly, "Actually Gerald, could I speak to you alone?"

Sid and Stinky chuckled, wondering what may be going on between Arnold and Helga, as the two of them left the field.

"So, how'd your 'official' proposal at FTi go?" Gerald asked.

Rubbing his neck, Arnold said, "Well THAT went well."

Gerald raised an eyebrow, still holding the baseball. "But…"

"Well, after the proposal, I told her I had to give the ring back, but she was already prepared with one from the claw machine at the arcade." Arnold began

"Yeah man, I was there when she won it!" Gerald bragged as Arnold glared…

"Uh huh. You and Phoebe share too many secrets." he pointed out continuing. "Anyhow, On our way back to the boarding house, we passed Bob at his emporium."

Gerald butted in with his hands on his waist, "Pttss...I'm sure that went well."

Arnold shrugged his shoulders. "I was about to walk over to give the real ring back as Helga stopped me, insisting she take care of things herself."

Keeping eye contact, he responded. "Yeah man, she's Helga G. Pataki! I'm sure she'll make you take her name!"

Rolling his eyes at the remark, Arnold continued. "I watched her pour her lifelong anger onto him about how he never cared for her; let alone bothered to remember her name. She told him if he loved her at all, he'd show up at the wedding. Then marched back over to me."

"So, you got to keep the ring?" Gerald raised an eyebrow, rushing him along.

Arnold shrugged his shoulders, not seeing why that mattered. "Well yeah."

"Then what's the problem?" Gerald wondered, seeming impatient.

"The problem was when we got back to the boarding house, we began making wedding plans.." Arnold started before being interrupted.

"I'm sure she enjoyed that." Gerald said sarcastically.

"That's just it. She DID enjoy it! It was her idea to do it!" he exclaimed.

" .mmm. Well, looks like you got your wish buddy. So, what ended up being the problem?" Gerald wondered, still not understanding.

"I watched her all excited about something a girly girl like Rhonda would be head over heels for. It made me think about all the time I'd spent pushing her to be more sensitive. I guess I just felt guilty seeing her like that. I know she doesn't care about that sort of thing. The last thing I want is for her to be unhappy." Arnold explained, as he sighed.

"Sounds to me like there's no way to make YOU happy either. Maybe you two are meant for each other." Gerald said wittingly, yet seriously.

Full of guilt, Arnold replied. "You're right. I should go home and think about this."

"See ya buddy!" Gerald said, watching his friend walk away.

Back at Phoebe's place, she and Helga were sitting in her room, discussing Helga's mixed feelings for her Arnold. "So does this mean you no longer have feelings for Arnold?" Phoebe asked.

Helga sighed, pulling her knees up to her chest. "I will always have feelings for him Pheebs. I just wish we understood each other better. I can't seem to make him as happy as he makes me. When I do, it's only by putting on an act that he believes I should."

"From what you've told me over the years, the aggressive side of you IS and act. He just wants to help you look past that. At the same time however, it hurts him to see you so uncomfortable doing it. He wants you to open up on your own to everyone. Just seeing that immediate comfortability of planning something so social was a bit unexpected of you, and quite a surprise for him." her friend explained as she lifted her head.

"Maybe you're right. If I'm going to be with him, I can't always expect him to understand me...especially when I don't even understand myself." Helga sighed as she began to stand up.

"Where are you going?" Phoebe replied.

Looking full of shame, she said to her friend, "I'm going to apologize to him. Hopefully he'll take me back. If not, my stuff is still over there." she said wittingly.

Phoebe got up to hug her friend, wishing her good luck.

"Thanks for helping me Pheebs. You're a good friend!" she said, patting her on the back. Helga then took a deep breath, as she headed out the door.

Making it only a block from the boarding house, Helga felt a tap on the shoulder. She turned around to see Arnie standing beside her. "Arnie?!"

"Snort...Hey Helga." he replied, staring with a half lidded gaze.

Putting her hands on her waist, she snapped, "Shouldn't you be off collecting lent somewhere?"

Keeping his still figure and dull facial expression, he replied, "I heard about the wedding."

Slapping her face, she mumbled. "Perfect. How'd that happen?"

"Snort, I heard you screaming about it at some old man at a beeper store. Snort, was that your dad?" still not taking his eyes off her..

"Figures." she said angrily, crossing her arms. "Well I gotta go. Enjoy your counting or gum or whatever else lame thing you got goin' on today."

Watching her walk away, he replied. "Snort…See you soon."

Making it to the boarding house, Helga was so anxious to apologize, she was nearly knocked over by the animals pouring out past her. "Crimmeny! This place is like a zoo!"

Helga rushed upstairs to find Arnold had passed out on his bed. Not wanting to wake him, she decided to leave him alone, and take a shower. Feeling the hot water pour on her reminded her of the intimate shower she had shared with her beloved only a week ago. Reaching for his shampoo, was like holding his amazingly fresh scented hair up to her face. Closing her eyes to scrub her own head with it, she pictured him rubbing his soft, smooth fingers through each strand of her hair.

After turning off the water, she quietly slipped out, doing her best not to wake anyone. When entering his room, she saw him still sleeping soundly on his bed. Seeing her nightgown was on the floor near it, she quietly slipped over, to see he had written something in their notepad from earlier.

Two lists were made for their invites. One to invite, one to possibly invite.

Invite

Gerald, Gerald's family, Phoebe, Phoebe's family, Rhonda, Rhonda's family, Nadine, Nadine's family, Sid, Sid's family, Stinky, Stinky's dad, Harold, Harold's family, Sheena, Sheena's family, Eugene, Eugene's family, Lila, Lila's dad, Mom, Dad, Grandma, Grandpa, Arnie

Helga looked at the Invite list and tried not to shout out loud _I can't believe he's intentionally inviting Arnie?!_

Maybe Invite

Mr Green, Mrs. Vitello, Mailman Harvey, Coach Wittenburg, Helga's family

Her thoughts were interrupted by pure silence however, when she saw he had even thought about including her family on the invite list.

Sitting beside him on the bed, she grew angry at herself for judging him. All he ever wanted was for her to be happy.

Once she changed her clothes, she tried slipping under the covers. It wasn't that easy with him laying on top of them. She managed to squeeze into her usual spot beside the clock. Unfortunately, she didn't have the usual leg room she did. Also, Arnold's arm was spread across her, rather than around her. She laid there thinking to herself, _Sheesh, what kind of sleeping pill did HE take?!_


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18: Leave It To Her

The next morning, Arnold woke to the sound of his alarm, and a lump underneath his arm. Not sure of what it could be, since his book was still atop his head, he rolled over. There was his fiance, still sound asleep. That is, until he gasped and screamed, "HELGA!"

Startled by the noise, she immediately sat up and asked, "Sheesh football head, what is it?"

Throwing his arms around her, he shouted, "I'm just so relieved you came back! I'm so sorry about what happened!"

Trying not to cry, she pushed him aside and said. "Yeah, yeah. We're both sorry. Let's just forget about it."

Looking at her expression, he could tell she was once again hiding her hurt feelings. Turning her face towards his, he said. "I don't WANT to forget about it Helga. My grandpa made me realize something." He began to explain as she jumped in…

"What? That we're out of pizza?"

Smiling at her, he went on. "No, that you can't MAKE someone want to change if they're not ready, or just don't want to."

Looking into his eyes she listened to him continue. "I can give you advice on how to be yourself, I can support you if you decide to take it, but I can't MAKE you take it. Only you can make yourself comfortable opening up to people Helga. I'll be there to hold your hand all the way, but it was wrong of me to pressure you. I just thought if you could handle the pressure of it, you'd be happy doing it. That's something you have to decide for yourself however."

Not knowing what to say, she pulled him close to kiss him, feeling a warm connection. She had someone who cared about her happiness more than all the people she'd ever met put together. Letting him go, she kept her face against his. "We should probably get ready for school."

He got out of bed as she sat there a moment; wondering what things would be like that day. Were they still even engaged? Afterall, she threw the ring back at him. Then looking down at her hands, she saw him sliding the ring back onto her finger. Seeing her fight a tear, he said to her, "Please don't leave me again."

She turned to hug him as she got out of bed. Actually excited at that moment to find out what everyone's reaction would be at school. The two of them finished getting ready together for once, and headed downstairs.

Arnold went to the kitchen to greet his parents as he saw them preparing breakfast. Helga then remembered they hadn't broken the news to his parents yet, and became a bit anxious. Rather than following him, she sat down at the table with the boarders.

"So, how was your night mom and dad?" Arnold asked them, as they prepared breakfast.

"We had another fun time with Lorenzo, seeing the wonderful exhibits this city has!" Stella exclaimed.

"What about you son? How are things with you and your girlfriend?" Miles asked, as he and Stella brought the food into the dining room.

Again, not knowing how to say it, Arnold brought Helga into the kitchen to show them her hand with the engagement ring.

Nearly dropping the food on the table, Stella asked, "Oh my! Are you two…"

Phil finished for her, as he said. "They sure are! I'm getting a seat up front. I told them to stick Pookey somewhere in the back."

Giving each other a concerned look, they eventually turned to their son. Miles said, "Well, as long as you two are happy."

Helga took back her hand, still shaking a bit, letting out a sigh of relief.

"Well, eat up you two! You don't want to be let for school!" Stella insisted.

Arnold happily ate as Helga began to slowly butter her biscuit. While she was overjoyed to be marrying Arnold, it still felt a bit overwhelming to have their secret out in the open like this. Becoming frustrated with herself, she couldn't believe the patience Arnold had with her. One minute she was ready for the challenge of having the world see her sensitive side. The next, the idea of it absolutely petrified her. _How could anything petrify me?_ She wondered _I'm Helga G. Pataki! If I can be threatening while feeling sensitive, why can't I be sensitive without feeling threatened?_

"Helga? Helga!" Arnold cried out, trying to get her attention.

"Huh? What?" she looked over, snapping out of her thoughts.

"We're going to miss the bus if we don't leave now." he insisted.

Putting aside her food, she responded. "Oh right. Let's go."

The two of them headed out the door, waving goodbye to his family. About to reach for her hand, he noticed her holding her backpack with both hands on it.

"Is everything okay, Helga? You were pretty quiet at breakfast." he asked, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Well doi, I was chewing my food, hairboy! Sheesh!" she exclaimed.

Remembering what his grandpa had told him, he decided to just let her be. Next thing they knew, they were at the bus stop. Arnold wanted badly to hold her hand, but she just wouldn't remove her hands from the straps of her backpack. As they stood there waiting, their two best friends approached them. Phoebe smiled at Helga, knowing things must have gone well with the apology. Not being able to see the ring, Gerald was unsure.

"So, how are you guys this morning?" Arnold asked.

Gerald gave him a puzzled look and said, "Not bad. How about we let the girls sit together, so you and me can talk?"

Arnold looked over at Helga, watching her shrug her shoulders. "Whatever tall hair boy wants I guess."

Suddenly the bus pulled up and the four of them took their seats. Gerald took Arnold to the back, wanting to know every detail. "So, I see you got your girl back. What I DON'T see, is the ring on her finger?"

"She's wearing it!" Arnold exclaimed.

"Uh huh, in a position no one can see it. The first morning the two of you haven't held hands is the one she just happens to be wearing an engagement ring on?" Gerald questioned.

Arnold shrugged his shoulders as he responded, "Look, I'm done trying to pressure her. That's the whole reason we fought last night."

"Okay, I see your point. Congrats man…" Gerald said, taking pity on him.

Arnold then turned his head to see Helga showing Phoebe something at the head of the bus. He assumed it was the ring. She never had a problem letting Phoebe know about anything.

When the bus stopped, the four of them headed out. Arnold figured he'd let Helga go to class alone, and let her show people the ring herself if that made her feel comfortable.

When she made it to her poetry class, the teacher began discussing their poems again. "Class, I know you're all anxious to hand in your poems about passion on Friday…" Helga listened as she doodled pictures of hearts and Arnold's face in her notebook.

"However, I just can't keep next weeks topic to myself. We are going to be discussing commitment!"

Helga's head shot up as she heard that word leave her teacher's lips.

"Commitment pertains to you being willing to remain loyal and devoted to something, no matter the struggles life may be throwing at you. You remain faithful to the idea that the wonderful times you share with this thing are worth going through the troubles it may cause you."

Thinking about this, Helga thought back to all the times she had devoted herself to helping Arnold remain happy. Thinking about the joy she felt when she was able to come through for him. Those were all secretive successes however. If she couldn't handle the pressure of doing all it took to make sure he remained happy in front of other people, would it be worth the heartbreak of witnessing the disappointment he would go through? All because her foolish pride wouldn't allow her to be there for him when he needed her. Sitting through the hour with her thoughts, class finally ended, and lunch eventually came.

Arnold knew someone had to have seen the ring by that point. Either that or Helga had taken it off. Only one way to find out. He didn't happen to run into Gerald in the hallway, but was too concerned about Helga to wait.

When making it to the cafeteria, both Gerald and Phoebe were sitting together. Arnold sat down with them, getting ready to ask if they had seen Helga. Before he could, Phoebe spoke up.

"I'm quite looking forward to next Saturday Arnold."

Arnold gave her a puzzling look, as he responded, "Uhh, what's happening next Saturday?"

Gerald lifted an eyebrow, as he replied. "Isn't it a little early for you to be having the wedding jitters my friend?"

Not knowing what they were talking about, Arnold suddenly heard a chair being pulled out beside him.

"Well, it's done!" Helga said proudly.

"What's done? What's going on?" Arnold asked, anxiously.

"The wedding shower invitations, doi! I saw you made the list of people to invite when I got home last night. Therefore I felt I should get to decide where it would be taking place. I made them before I went to bed...or should I say TRIED to go to bed. What with your football shaped head passed out on TOP of the covers. Then, I passed them out this morning." Helga explained, with her legs crossed, leaning back in her chair, and an arm resting over the back of it.

Arnold sat there amazed. Not only was she letting people know about them, she seemed comfortable doing it herself.

"Wow Helga! Could I see one?" he asked.

Shrugging her shoulders at him, she said, "Suit yourself" as she took a sip of her Yahoo soda.

 _Our Joy Will Be Complete If You Would Join Us For The Wedding Shower of Arnold Shortman and Helga Pataki_

 _Next Saturday (September 10)_

 _1256 Brooklyn Rd_

 _2:00 pm_

Arnold's eyes were in shock "Wow Helga! This is amazing...and so sudden?"

Not having changed her position, she took another sip of her drink, "Yeah, I grabbed a stack from the Corner Store on my way home from Pheeb's house last night. I didn't expect you to be passed out the way you were."

Smiling at the invitation, Arnold paused, "Wait? Phoebe this is your place?"

Smiling back at him, she responded. "Precisely. Before Helga left last night, she asked for my approval. That is, if the two of you could work things out, which I knew you would."

Arnold reached over to kiss Helga on the cheek, still sipping her drink. "Thanks! This will be great!"

"Yeah, the only problem is we're not registered anywhere. Guess we can save that for the wedding." Helga said, feeling disappointed with herself.

"Or, you could always ask Rhonda for help. I'm sure she'd be happy to step in. You know she's going to try to anyway." Gerald point out.

Arnold looked across the room at Rhonda sitting with Nadine and Sheena. "That's actually not a bad idea, Helga."

Shrugging her shoulders she said, "Eh whatever works."

The bell then rang and the girls parted ways with the guys. Arnold kissed Helga goodbye as he said, "I'll see you after school. Have fun in class."

Rolling her eyes at the thought she responded, "Pttss...yeah right!"

Watching the guys walking away from them, Helga stopped Phoebe. "Hey Pheebs. I just wanted to thank you for this morning."

"Certainly Helga." Nodding her head at her best friend's gratitude.

"Yeah, we both know I've kind of been going back and forth with this whole excitement/nervous feeling. I woke up this morning thinking I wouldn't have a problem letting people know about me and Arnold. Next thing I knew, I couldn't stand the idea of showing anyone the ring." Helga went on, explaining herself.

"We all have mixed feelings Helga." Phoebe assured her.

"I guess. Anyway, thanks for the pep talk." Helga said, as she headed for class.

Heading in the opposite direction, Arnold began walking with Gerald to Calculus as he heard, " .mm. Well Arnold, that Helga Pataki is full of surprises."

"Yeah." Arnold said, as his eyes began to wonder.

"You know she's going to be calling all the shots from here on out...then again, she always has." Gerald pointed out.

"Yeah, but that's just who she is. Which is what makes her special to me." Arnold replied.

"Whatever you say Arnold." Gerald shook his head, as the two went their separate ways.

Sitting through Calculus, Arnold grew less and less anxious about his test. It was as if this had never been a math class for him, but rather a chemistry class. Sitting in there each day, wondering what made him and Helga click. What was it about her rough exterior that made her sensitive interior so irresistible?

As usual, the bell rang with his head in the clouds. Arnold walked down the hallway, never feeling so happy. He was about to marry the girl of his dreams. More importantly, she was happy for other people to know about it. Pushing the front doors to the school open, he was suddenly jerked aside.

"Oh Arnold! There you are!" Rhonda said excitedly, as Helga stood beside her.

"Oh hey guys! Helga, you ready to walk home?" Arnold asked, hoping Rhonda wouldn't be joining them.

"Actually, Helga and I are going to my place to update the invitations! Care to come with?" Rhonda asked, full of excitement, as she flipped her hair back.

Arnold looked over at Helga, as she gave him a look that read _You knew this would happen._

"Uhh...actually, I think I'll just go study for that Calculus test." he replied.

"Calculus? Arnold are you expecting someone to bring a calculator as a gift to your party? Please! Unless you want Helga making all your wedding gift decisions, I absolutely insist you join us!" Rhonda went on, unable to change his mind.

Backing away from her, Arnold responded. "That's okay, I trust her." Listening to his response, he thought about all the things Helga had done for him over the years. All the times she had been there when he needed her, without him even knowing about it. She always came through for him! "I completely trust her" he added.

Turning her nose up at him, Rhonda pulled Helga along, saying, "Suit yourself."

Staring at the ground, ready to get what she knew would feel like a never ending nightmare over with, Helga asked, "So what exactly did you have in mind Princess?"

"Well, first let me start by saying I cannot believe you chose Phoebe's house over mine for the shower! Don't worry though, we can fix that." Rhonda said, as Helga rolled her eyes and responded wittingly, "Yeah, I guess most people wouldn't choose their best friend for something like that."

"Second, you did quite a poor job with those invites. I mean seriously, who passes out plans for a shower without registering somewhere?" she continued with her criticizing.

"Someone who could care less about that type of thing I suppose?" Helga snarled, not bothering to look at her.

"Third, do you even know the date of your wedding? People will be there asking, 'So, when's the big day?' What are you going to say to them?!" she exclaimed as Helga's lifted her head with widened eyes. She hadn't considered this? Maybe she shouldn't have been so assertive.

"Uhh...we're still working on that little detail." She said, feeling the ring on her finger.

"Now that I think about it. It's much too early for a wedding shower! You can't have one without an engagement party! We'll just have to start this whole thing from scratch!" Rhonda shook her head as she placed her arm around Helga and said, "Thank goodness you came to me. We've got some serious work to do!"

"Sounds great…" Helga sighed as they entered Rhonda's house.

Meanwhile, Arnold had made it home just as his parents did. "Hey Arnold! Where's Helga?" Miles asked. "She's actually with Rhonda. They're planning the wedding shower." he said, not knowing the changes that had already been made.

"Wow! You're really on top of things. So where is it going to take place?" Stella asked.

Looking at them both, Arnold said, "Well, we were planning on Phoebe's place. Rhonda is pretty demanding however, so there's a good chance it could end up being there."

Miles and Stella laughed at each other, as they turned to Arnold and said, "Well, keep us posted son."

Giving them a thumbs up, Arnold ran upstairs to his room. Pulling out his Calculus book, he received a text message from Gerald. "Hey man, What's up?"

Arnold read the text and responded, "Not much. Just looking at Calculus. You?"

"Phoebe and I were walking back to my place when we spotted what looked like your cousin Arnie talking to Amanda."

Arnold shrugged his shoulders, not seeing how that could hurt him. It would keep Arnie away from Helga, and Amanda away from him. "Good, maybe she'll finally leave me alone."

"Unless he tells her about the wedding shower. You don't want her showing up at it!" Gerald pointed out.

Arnold's face froze, as he thought to himself _No way would he share that information with her. Even if he did, she wouldn't show up._

"Thanks for the info Gerald. I should get back to Calculus." Arnold said, hoping to take his mind off the social drama.

"Alright, later man." Gerald replied.

Back at the Lloyd's residence, Rhonda was fast at work on the computer while Helga sat with her legs crossed on the couch, flipping through a sports magazine.

"Now Helga, these are the best stores in town to buy your wedding gifts from. Not only that, you can register online!" Rhonda said excitedly as Helga continued to flip through the magazine.

"Oh joy!" she said sarcastically.

"Well come on now. Have a seat next to me and pick whatever stands out to you!" Rhonda patted the chair she pulled up next to her for Helga.

Setting the magazine aside, Helga sighed as she said "Fine! I'll look at your stupid sites."

Helga began to click on the gifts she believed would be good for both her and Arnold. Rhonda however, didn't agree with all of her choices.

"That mixing bowl is absolutely atrocious Helga! Go with this beautiful blender. It's all the rage!"

Rolling her eyes, Helga did as she was told; anything to get her out of there faster. She just kept saying to herself _Doing this for Arnold! Doing this for Arnold! Doing this for Arnold!_

Fifty clicks and five stores later, Helga turned to Rhonda and said. "There! We finished the stupid registration! Are we done with everything?"

"Are you kidding? Now we have to redo those invitations. We can now add the names of the places you two are registered at. Oh and this time they need a decorative background. I mean, black and white? Seriously!" Rhonda said, placing a hand on the back of Helga's chair, and the other on her waist.

Helga slapped a hand against her face, not believing what a big deal girls made out of this sort of thing.

"Oh! Oh! Pink hearts around the paper with a flower in the center! Done! Now we just need the information on them." Rhonda exclaimed.

Rolling her eyes, Helga asked. "Well I can't stick a pen through the computer?"

"No silly! We'll order them! Let me just click here to add the information, and they'll be here tomorrow!" Rhonda said happily, as Helga sighed.

"I'm assuming since you want this thing done at your place, I should just trust you to hand them out?" Helga said sarcastically.

"Well of course! Now we need to decide what snacks to serve at the shower." Rhonda went on.

"We've already decided on pizza." Helga pointed out.

"Pizza? What wedding planet are YOU from?! We'll have cucumber sandwiches, a caesar salad, OH and some of those bride and groom cupcakes from this month's bridal magazine!" Rhonda decided as Helga sat back in the chair, waiting for the evening to end. "Sure thing Princess."

"Now, I will need that invite list if I'm going to be the one handing out the invitations." Rhonda demanded, holding out her hand.

"Here you go, Princess. I slipped it in my backpack with the invitations this morning." Helga said, proudly handing over the paper.

Rhonda turned her nose up as she made it to the end of the list. "Uh Arnie?"

Helga snarled and said, "Trust me, it wasn't my idea!"

Rolling her eyes, she said. "Well, I suppose it's as much Arnold's wedding as it is your's...pity. Okay, so we click on the invite, add the basic information, address, names of the bride and groom, date and time. Next, we need a marvelous intro statement!"

Helga raised part of her eyebrow as she asked, "What is that?"

"You know. _You are cordially invited_ , or, _we request that you join us for._ " Rhonda went on as Helga tried to show some interest. Afterall, Rhonda was helping her.

"What was wrong with the, 'Our joy will be complete'? I mean, I stole it right off the internet for crying out loud?" Helga raised her voice, throwing an arm in the air.

Shaking her head, Rhonda said, "That kind of attitude is exactly why you need me!"

"Fine! You pick Princess." she leaned back, crossing her arms, scooting away from the computer.

Rhonda went through the intro lines until she finally settled on something

 _We request the honor of your presence for the wedding shower of Arnold Shortman and Helga Pataki_

After surfing the internet for the perfect opening line, Helga scowled at Rhonda. "Alright, we've picked the place, we've ordered the invites, we decided on snacks, we registered for gifts. Is there anything left that's so important it can't wait until tomorrow...or never. I mean crimeny! Don't you think it's a little early to be worrying about all of this? We're not getting married 'til the end of the school year!"

Rhonda made some final clicks on the computer, saying to Helga, "We're actually BEHIND schedule! I will print out the list of things needed to be done each month as they go by. I just need you to go home and discuss the day of the actual wedding with Arnold."

"No problem. See ya tomorrow." she said, heading out the door.

Proud of herself for toughing it out, she headed back to the boarding house. _Maybe this marriage thing won't be such a big deal. Everyone already knows about us. Rhonda's taking care of the planning, I already told Bob off, and I get to spend the rest of my life with the LOVE of my life!_

Coming up on the boarding house, she saw Amanda exiting. Helga raced over just in time to catch her coming down the porch steps. "Amanda?" she snapped.

"Oh hello Helga! What brings you here on this oh so special night?" she asked, already knowing the answer.

"I 'oh so happen' to live here. Just what may I ask are you doing here?" Helga said sarcastically, crossing her arms at the redhead.

"Oh, I was just visiting someone close to us both?" Amanda said, winking to Helga, as she walked away from the boarding house.

Helga raced inside, nervous as to what might have happened between Amanda and Arnold. She made it to the attik, swinging the door open, ready to yell at Arnold. Instead, she saw Arnold playing cards with Arnie.

"Arnold, Just what in the heck were you doing with...Arnie?" she questioned.

The guys looked over as she entered, "Snort. Hey Helga." Arnie greeted her.

Helga rolled her eyes, thinking to herself _I can't believe this guy's going to be at our wedding!_

Arnold got up to walk her inside and shut the doorway. "So, did you have a good time with Rhonda?" he asked.

As she sat down on the bed, she explained, "Eh, we registered for the gifts, remade the invites, Rhonda's passing them out for us, the party's at her place, and she's making the snacks."

A smile grew on Arnold's face as he sat down beside her. "Sounds great!"

"We'll see. By the time I was through listening to her, a root canal sounded like a better idea." Helga insisted.

Breaking the silence, Arnie said, "Snort. I'm going to the bathroom."

"Sure Arnie." Arnold said, watching him walk out the door.

Immediately, Helga asked. "So, I have two questions. One, what is he doing here, and two, what was Amanda doing leaving here."

Arnold picked up her hand as he began to explain "Gerald texted me saying he saw them together on the street. Next thing I knew, Arnie was bringing her over here. It looks like they're going to be spending time together. Don't worry, I won't let him bring her to the shower!"

Rolling her eyes at the thought, she responded. "Fine, just keep him away from me! Oh, and it's now an 'engagement party.' According to Princess we're WAY behind schedule planning this thing out."

Before he could answer, the door opened. "Snort. I'm back."

Arnold looked over at Helga's upset face and said, "Actually Arnie, we're kind of tired. I think we're going to go to sleep."

"Snort Okay. Night." Arnie responded, as he shut the door, leaving them alone.

"Thanks football head!" She said, kissing him on the cheek.

Feeling her soft lips, he asked "So, did you have any fun at all with Rhonda?"

Looking at her bewildered expression, he immediately responded, "Sorry. At least we have the party to look forward to."

"I suppose. Which reminds me, she says we need to hurry up and pick a date for the wedding." Helga sighed informing him.

"A date? Already?" Arnold asked, rubbing her hand nervously.

Helga shrugged her shoulders as she responded, "Apparently we'll look terrible if people ask us about it at the party, and we're not able to answer them."

"Hmm...well, I guess we can talk to my family about it this weekend. That party's not until next weekend right?" Arnold asked, hopefully.

Helga stretched her arms as she responded. "Pttss...all I care about right now is getting some shut eye."

Arnold leaned over to kiss her, not worrying about the work that needed to be done. They leaned down on his bed, both tired enough to fall asleep with their lips pressed against one another. "Are we just going to sleep like this?" Arnold whispered to his fiance.

Keeping her eyes closed, with her arms wrapped around him, she whispered back "Good enough for me." as they fell asleep together.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19: What Are You Going To Do About This?

The next morning, Helga woke up with someone in her face, but it wasn't Arnold.

"AHHHH!" She screamed as she saw Arnie hovering over her. "Arnie? What the heck are you doing in here?!"

Standing up straight, he explained "Snort. Arnold wanted me to tell you breakfast is downstairs."

Clenching her fists, she scowled "Just get the heck out of here! Now!"

As he left, she held her hand up to her face, wondering how long this would last. She could barely stand to be around him for a minute, and they hadn't even picked a date for the wedding? Sucking up her negativity, she got dressed and headed downstairs. There Arnie was at the dining room table with the boarders and the rest of the family.

As Helga noticed Arnie waving for her to sit beside him, Arnold walked in from the kitchen. "Hey Helga, let's sit down."

"So, Arnold told us about your little wedding date problem." Miles brought up, sitting with them.

Helga happily listened to what he had to say; anything to take her mind off Arnie.

"We think it would be best if you two wait until the end of the school year to get married. You could of course still have the engagement party next week. Just wait until closer to graduation to have the wedding." Stella suggested.

Helga was relieved at the idea of having time to plan the wedding. The only thing that bothered her was how long she would have to put up with Arnie.

"Sounds like a good idea. How about May 31. We graduate on the 24. That way, we'll be out of school, and everyone will have a chance to get ready for it." Arnold said, as he looked at Helga.

"Fine with me." Helga ate her breakfast quickly, as she could sense Arnie staring at her. Finishing when Arnold had barely begun to start his, she grabbed him and said, "Come on football head! We can't miss the bus!"

"Snort. Bye Helga." Arnie said, as Arnold waved goodbye to everyone.

The two of them made it out the door, as Helga turned and screamed "Crimenny football head! How long is he going to be around for? The wedding is going to be next year. I can barely handle him for a minute!" she scowled, throwing her arms in the air.

Holding her engaged hand, Arnold sighed "Don't worry Helga. I'll think of something. In the meantime, just try not to think about him."

"And how is that possible when I can hear the guy snorting from a mile away? Plus, Amanda likes him! All the more reason for him to hang around." She continued to complain.

"Look, if it bothers you that much, I'll tell my family to take him off the list." Arnold sighed, trying to find a quick end to their fight.

"I'm not saying he can't come to the wedding. I just don't understand why he has to live with us until it's all over?! I mean, what was he even doing wandering around town to begin with? Doesn't he have his own family to go home to?" she exclaimed.

"I don't know Helga. I'll talk to my parents tonight. Like I said, just try not to worry about it for now." Arnold insisted, as they came up on the bus stop.

Gerald and Phoebe walked up to greet the two of them, noticing they weren't in the best of moods. "Hello Helga. How did things go with Rhonda, yesterday?" Phoebe asked.

"Oh, you know Princess, taking charge of everything. The invites, the food, the location, the gifts. I guess I should be thanking her...but I won't." Helga snarled.

Gerald rolled his eyes at Helga's ungrateful attitude as he turned to see Arnold's troubled face. "So, what's up man? How'd the studying go?"

"Uhh pretty good. That is, until Arnie brought Amanda over." Arnold said hesitantly, wondering if it was a good topic to discuss in front of Helga.

"What?!" Gerald exclaimed.

Helga crossed her arms at the thought of Arnie being brought up again. Seeing her angry behavior, Arnold turned to Gerald, "Would you like to let the girls sit together again?"

The bus then pulled up as the girls grabbed a seat near the front, and the guys headed for the back.

"So, what's got Helga acting like...Helga?" Gerald smiled as Arnold rolled his eyes at the remark.

"You were right about Arnie and Amanda. Not only that, he brought her over to my house." Arnold started.

"Wow! Your cousin sure can pick 'em up. What kind of gum does he chew?" Gerald asked.

Sighing at him, leaning forward in his seat, Arnold responded "I thought it would be a good thing to have someone to distract Arnie from Helga. He's still driving her crazy though."

"Can't say I'd blame her." Gerald agreed.

"My parents suggested we wait until closer to the end of the school year to get married. I can't let Arnie stick around for that long though?" Arnold said worriedly.

"Not if you want Helga to stick around longer." Gerald said raising an eyebrow.

Arnold continued to stare at the bus floor until Gerald asked, "So, what are you going to do man?"

"I told her I would talk to my parents tonight. Honestly, I don't even know what he's doing in town. Helga and I ran into him near the docks; before I even thought about proposing." Arnold explained.

" .mmm. Well, good luck buddy! You'll be needing it, dealing with those two!" Gerald insisted.

Gerald patted his friend's back as the bus came to a stop. The four of them headed for the teen drama filled hallways. Arnold noticed Helga was letting her hands swing at her sides, not caring who noticed the ring on her finger. Wishing he could catch up to her, he felt a tap on his back…

"Arnold! There you are!" Rhonda called out in excitement.

Turning to look at her, taken by surprise, he hesitated. "Oh uh, hey Rhonda. Helga told me you guys got everything done last night?"

"But of course! The invitations should be here this afternoon. I'll bring them to school to pass out tomorrow." she said excitedly, flipping her hair at him with her hand on her waist.

"Sounds great!" Arnold said anxiously, hoping he could leave to catch up with Helga.

"I know! Now, have you two set a wedding date yet? I told her how important a topic it would be at the party!" Rhonda insisted, pointing a finger, as he continued moving slowly away from her. Hinting they would soon be late for class.

"Uhh actually Rhonda, my parents think it would be best for us to get married closer toward the end of the school year. We were thinking May 31." Hoping not to receive too dramatic a response from her.

"Well, I suppose that would give us more time to plan for everything! Okay Arnold, we can work with this!" Rhonda said, ignoring Arnold rolling his eyes at her. Although he had suggested getting her help, he forgot to take into account how controlling she was when it came to event planning.

Noticing Helga was long gone, Arnold began walking to his Physics class, which Rhonda was unfortunately in with him. All through class, she passed notes about what would be the perfect day for the wedding, the best dress for Helga, the right music for the reception, and the place to get the best wedding cake. Arnold did his best to ignore her, but who was he kidding, this was Rhonda. She knew about the project; it was no longer his.

Meanwhile, in Helga's poetry class, the students were being reminded of the passion poems that needed to be turned in the next day. "Class, tomorrow is the day we will be handing in our passion poems!"

Just the thought of her poem made Helga's heart melt. Arnold had been her loving inspiration since she was three years old. His kind nature, his forgiving attitude, his helpful behavior, was nothing but irresistible. Just the fact that it all belonged to her now put a smile on her face like no other. The thought of waking up to him every morning until the day she died sent chills through her body. Imagining herself finally hearing the words _Do you take Arnold to be your lawfully wedded husband?_ Made her heart flutter.

Suddenly her passionate daydream was interrupted by the bell. Lunch finally came around and Helga anxiously headed for the cafeteria. Upon arriving, she saw Gerald and Phoebe reviewing their speeches for tomorrow's class election. Helga pulled up a chair, interrupting their work by asking, "Hey Pheebs, Geraldo, how's it going?"

"Quite well Helga. While Gerald and I still plan on presenting tomorrow, Gerald has decided not to put much effort into it." Phoebe explained.

Crossing her legs and leaning back in her chair, she recapped, "In other words, he's going to 'intentionally' make himself look bad, so the class will want to go with you."

"Pretty much." Gerald responded, noticing Arnold and Rhonda approaching them.

"Hey guys." Arnold sighed, knowing Rhonda was still behind him.

"Helga there you are! Wonderful news! The invites should be at my house this afternoon. We can pass them out tomorrow. I gave Arnold a whole folder full of other important things you should be thinking about for your wedding." Rhonda said excitedly, as Helga glared at her.

"Sounds great Princess, now move it along." Helga insisted, as Arnold sat beside her, watching Rhonda leave.

Taking a sip of her soda, Helga watched Arnold's exhausted face fall into his hands. "Still think asking her for help was a great idea?"

"I guess not." Arnold sighed, knowing there was no way they were getting out of it now. He began flipping through the pages of the folder. Helga glanced down to see all the suggestions Rhonda had made for them.

"Oh brother! She actually expects me to wear something _she_ picked out for me?!" Helga exclaimed.

Pushing aside the folder, Arnold said, "I guess. Let's try not to think about it for now." Saying that however, reminded him of something else.

"You okay there Arnold?" Gerald asked, watching his friend stare at the table with his elbows propped on it.

"I was just trying to figure out what to do about Arnie. I'm worried when I ask my parents about him, they'll say he's going to be staying with us for awhile." Arnold responded as Helga nearly choked on her drink "Pttss...he better not be, or you two football heads can marry each other!"

"Perhaps you can work out some sort of compromise." Phoebe suggested, as Helga scowled. "Compromise? And how do you propose we do that? Have him sleep on the lawn? Sheesh Phoebe!"

The bell then rang, and the group went their separate ways. Gerald walked Arnold to his Calculus class, noticing the frown still hadn't left his friend's face. "Well Arnold, I'm hearing wedding bells, all thanks to Rhonda."

Arnold sighed, continuing to look straight down the hallway "Yeah. I haven't been engaged two whole days, and it already feels like two months."

Gerald lifted his eyebrows in surprise at his friend's feelings "What did you expect man? You know how giddy Rhonda is about that kind of thing. Asking the fashion princess for help planning a wedding was like putting out a saucer of milk for a stray cat. You're never getting rid of her now!"

Rubbing the back of his neck, Arnold replied, "Yeah, you're right. I just thought Helga might like some help with it."

"Like it or 'need' it?" Gerald corrected him.

"I don't know, both?" Arnold said, starting to feel annoyed.

"Then you clearly don't know her. She's not fixated on that stuff like Rhonda is." Gerald reminded him as they made it to Arnold's Calculus class.

"Yeah you're right Gerald. I'll see you later." Arnold said, as the two did their secret handshake.

Sitting in class, Arnold wondered what was going to happen after school. All he wanted to do was go home and lay down. He couldn't do that without talking to his parents about Arnie first, however.

By the time the bell rang, Arnold was barely lifting his head up. He slowly walked out of class, just hoping Rhonda wouldn't stop him again. Opening the doors to the school, he saw Helga already waiting outside for him. Leaning against a tree, staring at her engagement ring, anxiously awaiting the company of her fiance. All he wanted to do was lay down beside her and forget the stress of the day. _Was all this paranoid planning really necessary? Maybe we could just elope and be done with it. That still wouldn't solve the problem we have with Arnie._ As these crazy thoughts went through his mind, he finally made it to the tree Helga was leaning against.

Taking her eyes off the ring, she looked at his exhausted face and said, "Sheesh football head! What kind of math problems did they have you doing today?"

"Uhh nothing big really. Guess I've just had a lot on my mind all day." he admitted, as she raised part of her eyebrow at him.

Sending a weak smile his way, she held out her hand for his and said, "Tell me about it."

Just taking her warm hand in his began to relieve the stress from his mind. "I'm sorry if I got us into a big mess by asking for Rhonda's help with the planning. I just thought it would take some of the stress off you." he insisted.

She shrugged her shoulders, keeping her head up as she replied, "Eh, she knows more about that type of thing than I do. I just never cared for that fashion/event crap."

Smiling at her, he said. "Yeah, and that's something I've always considered to be special about you."

Stopping in front of his house, a chill ran through her body as she rubbed the back of her neck. Before she could think of what to say, she felt him squeeze her hand tighter. Turning her head to look into his eyes, she knew if there was anyone in her life who would ever be worth committing to, it was Arnold.

Suddenly, their romantic moment was interrupted. "Snort. Hey."

The two of them looked over at the door to see Arnold's cousin standing there. "Oh, hey Arnie. How was your day?" Arnold asked.

"Snort. I cleaned out the lint trap in the laundry room dryer. Then I read the ingredients on all the food packages in the kitchen cabinets, while your grandma made lunch." Arnie explained, as Helga crossed her arms in annoyance.

"That sounds...uh...neat." Arnold replied as Helga smacked her face.

Seeing the tension Arnie's presence brought, Arnold said, "Listen Arnie. I've got to talk to my parents about something. Why don't you see if Amanda wants to see a movie tonight?"

"Snort. She's already here. I'll see if she wants to. Snort. Helga, would you like to join us?" Arnie asked, as Arnold quickly turned his head towards her. Why was Arnie suddenly taking an interest in her, when he had Amanda?

"I'd rather have a root canal!" Helga scowled, as she placed her hands on her hips, not concerned at all about his feelings.

"Snort. Okay." Arnie replied, turning to go back inside the boarding house.

Arnold and Helga stood outside a moment, lost in their own thoughts. Arnold's face stayed frozen on the doorway, as he stood on the sidewalk thinking, _Why would Arnie invite Helga to the movie if Amanda would be there with him? Is he still interested in her? Do I need to be concerned?_

Looking away, with her hands remaining on her hips, Helga thought to herself _Man, what's it going to take to get rid of this loser?! I can't believe I ever brought up having an engagement party! Most guys don't even know about that crap!_

Snapping out of his thoughts, Arnold put his hand on Helga's shoulder and said, "Well, I guess we should go inside. I'll talk to my parents as soon as he leaves for the movie."

Shrugging her shoulders to keep up appearance, she replied "Whatever."

As the two of them walked inside, Arnold headed for the kitchen to greet his family, while Helga decided to head for his bedroom. The last thing she wanted was to see more of Arnie. Opening the door to Arnold's bedroom, she found someone sitting on his bed, reading her poetry books.

"Oh, hello Helga. I'm ever so glad to see you!" Amanda said excitedly, as she sat their reading poems Helga had written about Arnold.

Helga stood frozen in the doorway, unable to find her words.

"These poems are just ever so lovely! Did you write them?" Amanda asked, as she sat politely waiting for an answer.

Sweat poured from Helga's face as she searched for her words, until someone came in from behind her.

"Helga, why are you just stan...Amanda? What are you doing with Helga's books?" Arnold asked, as he entered the bedroom.

Standing up from his bed, not taking her eyes off Helga, she said, "I had a feeling these were your's Helga. You are the best poet in the class after all!"

"Uhh...thanks." Helga replied, at last able to speak.

Not knowing what Helga maybe thinking, Arnold said. "Listen Amanda, I told Arnie the two of you should see a movie tonight. I need him to leave the house for awhile, so I can talk to my parents about something."

"That's sounds just ever so wonderful Arnold. Helga, would you like to join us?" Amanda asked, as Helga and Arnold both remained confused. Was she not as interested in Arnie as she seemed, or was she just being polite?

"Uhh...no thanks." Helga said, continuing to stand still with her arms at her side.

Leaving the room as if she hadn't invaded anyone's personal space, Amanda said, "Okay, well you two have a good night!"

"See you Amanda." Arnold sighed as he shut the door behind her, watching Helga walk over to his bed.

"Are you okay Helga?" he asked, as he saw her plant her head in her hands, leaning her elbows against her knees.

"Oh I'm just peachy. It's not like some lunatic just waltzed in and read all my intimate secrets!" she scowled.

Sitting down beside her with his arm around her back, he replied, "They were just poems about me weren't they?"

"Well doi!" she exclaimed, as she threw her arms in the air.

"What's there to worry about then? Everyone knows we're getting married now. Your feelings for me aren't a secret anymore." he pointed out, shrugging his shoulders.

Sighing at the floor, she replied, "I guess you're right."

Giving her a kiss on the cheek, he replied, "I'm going to talk to my parents now. Arnie and Amanda should be gone."

"Alright, but tell them if he stays, I leave." Helga demanded.

Smiling at her forceful attitude, he rubbed her hand and said, "I'll try to work that in somewhere."

As Arnold headed downstairs, he found his parents in the kitchen with his grandparents. Stella and Pookey were cooking spaghetti while Miles and Phil were playing chinese checkers.

"Hey shortman! What's up?" Phil asked.

"Hey guys. I wanted to talk to you about Arnie." Arnold said, not knowing exactly how to start.

"Oh, what about him?" Stella asked.

"Exactly how long is he going to be here? Normally when he comes it's only for a few days. Helga and I ran into him a few days ago, not knowing he was still in town. Then, Helga ran into him again and he said he heard about the wedding." Arnold continued as he was interrupted.

"Yep, but not from me!" Phil said proudly.

"Uhh right grandpa." Arnold said, rolling his eyes.

Stella sat down at the table with the rest of the family. "Arnie's family isn't doing well honey. After he left here to go home a week or so ago, we got a call from his parents asking if we'd keep him awhile longer. I don't know where he disappeared to after leaving here."

Arnold looked towards the ceiling, "Uhh he said something about collecting lint from the hotel dryers, to buy gum from the arcade."

Miles gave an awkward stare as Phil said, "That kid definitely didn't come from my side of the family!"

"So, how long does that mean he is going to be staying here?" Arnold asked.

Miles and Stella looked at each other sadly, knowing Arnold wouldn't like the news. "I'm afraid we don't know dear. Is something going on between the two of you?" Stella asked.

Scratching the back of his head, Arnold replied, "Not so much me and him as him and Helga."

Phil put down his paper as he winked, "Ooohh… you're cousin trying to steal your girlfriend?!"

Rolling his eyes at his grandpa's remark, Arnold responded. "No, I'm just not sure how much more Helga can take of his…'interesting' behavior."

Picking up his paper again, Phil replied "She's a smart girl!"

"We'll think of something son. He's not here at the moment, so go enjoy your time with Helga." Miles suggested, as Arnold left the kitchen.

When Arnold made it back to his bedroom, he saw Helga still looking at her poetry books. She anxiously lifted her head to receive a solution to their problem. "So, what'd they say?"

Dropping his head as he slowly moved toward her, he replied "They said they'd think of something."

Rolling her eyes at him, Helga angrily said, "Pttss...yeah, in English, that means they just pity us. They can't actually help us. Oh brother!"

As he put his hand on her back, he noticed she hadn't put her books down since Amanda left. "Like I said, everyone already knows about us. Rhonda will be passing out invitations tomorrow won't she?"

Helga sighed, setting aside the book as she leaned against him. "Yeah, they're supposed to arrive today. I guess that means she'll be handing everything out at lunch tomorrow."

A moment of silence took place as she continued to lean against him, until she said, "I'm sorry if I rushed things. I just felt bad running away from you the way I did. I really was excited to plan everything out with you. It frustrated me when you basically said it wasn't normal for me to be so excited about something like that."

He stopped rubbing her arm and began to think about the stress they had been putting each other through. She wouldn't show anyone but him her sweet and sensitive side, while he wouldn't allow her to express herself through her angry and rough side.

"I'm sorry about everything that's happened recently, Helga. I was just trying to make things easier for you and bring us closer together. Like my grandpa said though, you can't 'make' someone enjoy something if they don't want to." he said as she turned her head towards him.

Looking up at him, she replied "I'm sorry I haven't made things easy for us. Just because I act tough around others doesn't mean my feelings for you will ever change."

He then leaned in to kiss her, as she held him thinking about handing in her poem to the class the next day. He was more than just something to be passionate about. As her teacher said, he was something, the one thing, she would always be willing to commit to, no matter how tough life became for her.

Finally pulling away, still holding hands along with each other, he looked into her eyes and said, "I promise I'll think of something to do about Arnie."

Shrugging her shoulders to hide her disappointment, she leaned her head against him and said, "At least he's not at school with us."

Helga then received a text from Phoebe, as Arnold ask. "Who's that from?"

"It's Pheebs. She wants to know if we'd like to see a movie with her and tall hair boy?"

Stopping to think for a moment, Arnold replied, "Uhh...I think Arnie and Amanda are at the theater right now."

Helga quickly texted back, "Thanks, but I think we're going to stay home tonight."

Setting her phone aside, Helga sat up and said "Good thinking football head!"

"Yeah, besides maybe now's a good time to look through that folder Rhonda gave me. I mean, we don't have to decide on anything." he suggested.

"I'm certainly not going to 'wear' anything she suggested." Helga warned him.

Arnold grabbed the folder as he flipped through the pages of everything Rhonda had put in. "Wow! We just told her about this the other day! How does she already have all this?"

Helga shrugged her shoulders and gave him a look implying _are you really that surprised?_ "It's Rhonda, Arnold. The queen of fashion. She probably already had it sitting in her room somewhere."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Look at all these different types of cakes!" he pointed out.

Helga's eyes grew as she snatched the folder away from him, and began flipping through the pages. "Forget Chez Paris! Let's just start ordering from this place!"

Arnold watched, knowing he was never getting the folder back. At least, not while they were on that topic.

"Hmm...vanilla with flowers, caramel with nuts, strawberry creme….hello deathbed!" she scowled.

"So, are we going to do that thing where the couple smashes the cake into each other's faces. I think we've established you 'do' need my help when it comes to eating." Arnold said, not being able to help laughing at his remark.

"Oh shut up Arnoldo!" she said, flipping through the pages until she found a chocolate mousse cake. "That's it! That's the one!"

Arnold looked over, at it's creamy, silky texture. His mouth began to water as he thought about their times sharing it at the restaurant together. "It looks just like the one from Chez Paris!"

"Then I guess we know it won't be a waste of money. Well that part was easy. Maybe Princess is useful after all." Helga smiled as Arnold put his arm around her. The two of them sitting on the floor, leaning against the bed together.

"I guess the wedding invite list will be the same as the engagement party list?" Arnold asked.

Not looking up from the folder, Helga responded "I guess. I really don't see the point in wasting more money on inviting my family. You know they're not going to show up."

Smiling at her, Arnold replied. "Your sister might."

Rolling her eyes at him, she replied "Let's just not think about that for now Arnold."

Not wanting to make her angry, he patted her back and said "Okay. So, do you know where you want the wedding to be?"

"Uhhh...no. Do you?" she asked.

"When you left me the other night, I thought about how much you meant to me. I thought how terrible it would be to lose you and how selfish I've been. It also made me think about what you considered to be the most special moments in our relationship. So, I had two ideas." he began, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Which are?" she asked, raising part of her eyebrow

"Well, it sort of depends on how import a big wedding is to you?" he continued as she shrugged her shoulders.

"Eh, I could take it or leave it. Like Bob said, he's not paying for anything." she replied.

"Well, if it's just my family joining us, we could fly out to San Lorenzo. We could get married at the Greeneyed village. Where I confessed my feelings for you." he started.

Her heart began to flutter as she set down the folder.

"Or we could drive out to the beach, with whichever of our friends care to join us. It'll be summer anyway, so it's not like we'd be missing school or anything?" he suggested.

She smiled at him, not sure of what to say. He took her hand, wondering if he should have suggested those things to her. "If you don't like the ideas we don't hav…" he began as she pressed her lips against his. She held him thinking...

 _Arnold my love! Who am I to deserve someone as caring and thoughtful as you? How could someone as sweet and kind as thee choose to be with someone as cruel and cold hearted as me? You are the light of my life! The bane of my existence! When this world bequeaths to me none other than pain and affliction, you hold out your hand offering your elaborate assistance!_

Wrapping his arms around her, happily kissing her back, he thought to himself _It doesn't matter where I do, just as long as I do!_

Barely releasing their lips from one another, he whispered to her, "So, what do you want to do?"

Closing her eyes to think, feeling her eyelashes batting against his, she at last opened them to say, "Maybe we should ask Gerald and Phoebe how badly they want to be there for it?"

Giving her a kiss that was short but sweet, he responded, "You're probably right."

As she pulled away from him to continue looking at the folder, she said, "Well, that's two things we've taken care of. Well almost."

"Yeah, I'd say that's enough for one night. Maybe we should get ready for bed. Tomorrow's going to be a big day. What with hearing about Gerald and Phoebe's election. Then seeing Rhonda passing out our invitations." Arnold replied, as he held out a hand to help her off the floor.

"Yeah I suppose you're right." she replied, setting down the folder, as she went over to grab her nightgown.

While Arnold changed into his pajamas, Helga took a look at herself in the purple nightgown Arnold had gotten her. "You know, it's funny." she began to say, as Arnold turned around to look at her.

"What's funny?" he asked.

"This is pretty much the same night gown I had when I was a kid." she told him.

"That's cool." he replied, smiling at her memory.

"You know what's even funnier?" she asked, as he looked at how well it fit her.

"No, what?" anxiously awaiting her response.

"I was wearing it the night I had a dream about marrying you. It was the day Rhonda brought her marriage predictor to school, and kept telling you, you were going to marry me." she couldn't help but smile walking towards him.

"That's strange. I had a dream about the two of us getting married that night as well." he replied.

A smile grew on her face, remembering him describing it to Gerald on the bus. "You did? What was it about?"

Moving his eyes away from hers, he stuttered. "Well, keep in mind, my feelings for you weren't as strong as they are now."

She lifted part of her eyebrow, "Uh huh?"

"It started with me at the ceremony, not knowing how I got there, or who I was even marrying?" he began, as she broke in.

"The best girl in town!"

Smiling at her remark, he continued. "Yeah, well, when I saw it was you, I wasn't too happy. Then you kind of, tricked me into saying 'I Do' to marrying you."

"Told you I'd be in charge!" she replied.

"Anyway, we ended up living at your place with kids neither of us wanted to take care of, while I ended up working with your dad at his beeper store." Arnold went on.

"Sounds more like a nightmare!" she continued to listen.

"Yeah, but it didn't end so badly, once I got you to open up to me. I made you admit you're not as mean as you act around people." he finished, setting his hand on hers.

Hearing a lovesick sigh release from her, he asked, "What was your dream about?"

Trying to keep her cool, she replied. "Nothing big. Getting married, becoming president, saving you from being captured, sharing a sandwich together, yada yada yada."

Kissing her on the cheek, he replied, "Hopefully that will be what it's like. Except for the getting captured part."

"I don't know, I had some pretty good karate moves in that dream!" she replied, as she thought back to it.

Reaching for his remote to turn out the lights, he shook his head. "Whatever you say Helga. Sweet dreams."


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20: Wrong Lips

The next morning, Arnold awoke to see Helga still sleeping peacefully. The alarm didn't seem to bother her. _I wonder what type of alarm she had to use at her place?_

He thought to himself. As he began to shake her, she barely stirred. "Morning Helga. Ready for school?"

"Not really, but what choice do we have? You ready for that math test?" she asked, as his mind went blank. He had completely forgotten to study last night. Sitting to think for a moment, he thought to himself, _I think I studied enough this week to get through the test._

"Yeah, I'm sure I'll do fine." he insisted, as the two of them stood up.

Getting dressed, Helga broke the silence by saying. "I wonder how much of a riot Princess will cause with those invites?"

"Well, it's going to happen one way or another." Arnold said, shrugging his shoulders.

"Guess you're right. Well, see you downstairs." Helga waved to him.

Arnold was joining her and the rest of the boarders no more than ten minutes later. Not wanting to upset Helga, he decided not to ask his parent if they had thought of what to do about Arnie, in front of her.

"So, where's Arnie?" Arnold asked, as Helga rolled her eyes.

"I believe he's still asleep dear. He came home late last night." Stella responded.

"Which was a blessing for us!" Phil insisted.

As they finished their pancakes, Arnold stood up and said, "We should get going. Today's sort of a big day for us. Bye everybody."

He and Helga then waved goodbye to the boarders and left to meet their friends at the bus stop.

On the way out the door, Arnold stopped to think about what a big day this was going to be for everyone. _Helga is handing in her passion poem, I'm taking my Calculus test, Rhonda is passing out the invitations to our engagement party next weekend, and Gerald and Phoebe's election for Class President is taking place._

Seeing Arnold's head in the clouds, Helga snapped, "Hey football head! Whatcha thinking about?"

"Huh? Oh nothing. Just how it's going to be a busy day for everybody. I wonder if Gerald and Phoebe are ready for their election?" he responded, as they were approaching the bus stop.

"If I know Pheebs, she's got this thing in the bag. I mean no offense to tall hair boy, but it was over for him the moment they replaced Matt with her." Helga proudly assured him.

Knowing Helga had a point, based on the the knowledge Phoebe had proven to be capable of over the years, Arnold simply nodded his head in agreement. As they approached the bus stop, they saw their two best friends waiting for them.

"Hey Arnold! How's it going?" Gerald asked anxiously.

"Pretty good, Gerald. Are you two ready for your election?" Arnold asked, hoping not to put pressure on either of them.

Holding a confident smile, Phoebe looked to Gerald, hoping he wouldn't be upset, no matter what the results were. Although she would like to win, the last thing she wanted was to ruin their friendship.

"Yeah, I think things will turn out just fine." Gerald said, placing his arm around Phoebe.

As the bus pulled up, Phoebe noticed Helga looking down at her ring. The four of them took a seat towards the back. Arnold sat beside Helga, straight across from Gerald and Phoebe. The moment they took their seats, Phoebe asked, "So, does Rhonda have your invites Helga?"

Shrugging her shoulders at the thought, Helga responded. "She said we'd be passing them out today. Which is Princess Code for 'she passes them out while I sit aside.' Which is fine by me!"

Thinking about what had happened the previous day, Arnold jumped in. "You know, she's in my Physics class, taking place before lunch. Which means, there's a good chance it'll be ME who gets stuck passing them out with her."

Gerald and Phoebe listened to the tone of their two best friends about their upcoming party. "You two don't seem to be excited about this at all. I mean it's your own _engagement party,_ and you're acting like it's someone else's funeral?"

Helga rolled her eyes at his nosey remark while Arnold sighed. "I guess we're just wondering if it was the best idea to ask for Rhonda's help. Yes, she's great when it comes to this type of thing. But she's already turning what's meant to be an enjoyable event into an exhausting task!"

Stepping in with her voice of logic, Phoebe explained. "Actually Arnold, most weddings are planned months in advance. Although Rhonda can be quite demanding, she's actually going about this in a normal matter."

Thinking about her response, Arnold was reminded of something else Rhonda said they needed to know by next week.

Rubbing the back of his neck, he turned to their two best friends. "Hey guys, Helga and I were deciding where to have the wedding last night. Do you two really want to come, or is it not that big a deal to you?"

Gerald's and Phoebe's faces dropped. They looked back and forth from their friends to each other. _What kind of question was this? How could he think for a second that their two best friends would not want to be a part of the biggest day of their lives?_

"Of course we want to come?! What are you talking about man?!" Gerald exclaimed, raising his eyebrow at Arnold.

"I would be honored to be there." Phoebe insisted as she looked over at Helga.

Taking Helga's hand in his, she looked up at Arnold and said, "Guess we've got some planning to do then don't we football head?"

Just then, the bus stopped, and the four of them left for their classes. Arnold walked Helga all the way to her poetry class. "So, do you think your teacher will make you read this one out loud?" he asked.

She stopped to think for a moment. "I'm not sure. If so, I guess it won't be that big a deal. I mean, I got this rock on my finger, so everyone already knows who the poem will be about!"

Smiling at her confidentiality, he kissed her goodbye. She then went into the classroom, and took her seat. Pulling out her paper, she was quite content with the changes she had made to it.

When the teacher made it in, they heard "Class, I'm assuming you all have your papers with you. You can go ahead and pass them up."

Just as the students were about to pass their papers forward, a hand shot up.

"Do you think we could read these poems out loud too? I just enjoyed doing so last time ever so much!" Amanda insisted, as she turned to look at Helga.

"All right, I suppose we could do that again." The teacher said, as each student was called on one by one to read. When it was Helga's turn, she took a deep breath and approached the front of the class. Rather than shaking and turning pale (as she had done during her first reading) she stood still as a confident tone progressed throughout the entire poem. Rather than having to read something which made her think about her insecurities, she was reading about the one thing that brought pleasure to her life. As each word flew gracefully from her lips, she pictured her beloved's face. Forgetting the twenty students she was standing in front of; only focusing on the pleasurable image in her mind.

Finishing her poem, the teacher clapped and said, "That was truly inspiring, Helga! I'm sure he feels the same way about you!"

Her heart began to flutter, as she looked down at her ring and thought to herself _I think he just may_

"Okay, our last poem will be read by Miss Amanda." the teacher said, as Helga rolled her eyes.

 _You help me when I need you_

 _I found your locket for you_

 _You talk to me each day_

 _I send loving looks your way_

 _Your heart is just so full of bliss_

 _I know you enjoyed our first kiss_

Finishing up her poem, Amanda winked in Helga's direction. Did she really love Arnold? What about Arnie? Was she just spending time with him to get closer to Arnold? If they _did_ get rid of Arnie, would that still keep Amanda away from Arnold?

Helga's head was spinning with thoughts. She didn't know what was holding her down in her seat so well. All she wanted to do was jump up and choke Amanda to death with her own poem.

Meanwhile, Arnold was in Physics with Rhonda. The moment Rhonda saw him, she went up and exclaimed, "ARNOLD! I have them! You're invites are here!"

Barely brave enough to turn around, he said, "Uhh gee, thanks Rhonda."

As he reached out for them, she snatched them away. "Don't be silly! We'll hand them out at lunch together! That way I can tell EVERYONE what they need to know about the party."

Scratching his head at her, he responded. "Uhh isn't that the whole point of the invitations."

Laughing at his comment, she replied. "Arnold, you are so lucky you chose me as your wedding coordinator!"

Widening his eyes, he replied. "Actually, I didn't…"

Before Arnold could finished correcting her, the bell rang. It was time for everyone to take their seats as the teacher entered the room.

When it got to be the last class to have before lunch, it was time for Gerald and Phoebe to head for English.

"Well, good luck babe." Gerald looked at Phoebe, seeing her smiling back at him. "The best of luck to you as well, Gerald."

"Now class, the day has finally arrived. Our two candidates will give their speeches on why they would make the best president. Then you will drop your votes in the ballot box on my desk. The results will be announced on Monday!"

While Gerald was just ready to move on with the day, Phoebe appeared overly-confident.

"Let's start with you Gerald!" Getting up from his seat, Gerald stood at the podium the teacher had set up for the occasion. Looking at the class, he thought to himself _I've been acting stressed, anxious, overly dramatic...the exact opposite of what I've always been known for. It's all because I was nervous about being turned down for something that I'm not even interested in doing. I just wanted to look cool, like I was always thought to be in grade school._

Starting to speak, he began "Classmates, I'm supposed to be up here giving a speech about why I would be your best pick. Instead, what I would like to do is give you a list of reasons why Phoebe would be your best pick. She's smart, responsible, great under pressure, good at managing things, reliable, and the best friend a person could ask for!"

After handing out his list of reasons as to why Phoebe would be the better pick, Phoebe wondered if giving her speech would even serve a purpose. The teacher didn't stop her from going up there however.

When class ended, it was at last time for lunch. Gerald and Phoebe walked side by side to the cafeteria, feeling more relaxed than they had felt in weeks. At last, the pressure from the event had been lifted. There in the cafeteria, they saw Helga, sitting alone at a table, sipping her yahoo soda.

"Hello Helga! How was Poetry class?" Phoebe asked, as Gerald sat down beside her.

"Eh, okay I guess." she replied, not wanting to reveal what Amanda had done. "How did your little political debate turn out?"

"Quite well I must admit." Phoebe replied just as Arnold began to walk up.

"Hey guys, what's going on?" Arnold asked.

"Nothin' much. Just talking about the election. Did Princess give you the invites?" Helga asked, as she leaned back in her chair, crossing her legs.

Rubbing the back of his neck, Arnold replied. "She's actually passing them out now. At first she dragged me alongside her. By the second table, I don't think she noticed I was gone."

Gerald lifted an eyebrow as he said, "Sounds like Rhonda."

"So, tell me how the election went!" Arnold insisted.

"I was about to go up there and just say a bunch of stuff to make myself look bad. Then I thought, 'why not go out in style?'" Gerald began as Helga rolled her eyes at him.

"I got up there and gave the class a list of reasons as to why they should pick Phoebe to be their president!" Gerald said proudly.

A smile grew on Arnold's face, impressed with the two of them. It was wiped away as soon as he heard a noise from across the cafeteria…

"FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!"

The four of them turned around to see Rhonda standing face to face with Amanda. "What's going on? Why is Rhonda fighting with Amanda?" Arnold asked.

"Maybe she's getting a fashion ticket." Helga smirked.

The four of them ran over to hear…

"You are NOT getting an invitation! You were NOT on the invite list!" Rhonda exclaimed, placing her hand on her hip, waving the invites in Amanda's face.

"I'm just ever so certain I SHOULD get one however!" Amanda said calmly, keeping her hands behind her back.

"And why is that?" Rhonda demanded to know.

"Well for starters, Arnold REALLY likes me!" Amanda insisted, looking in Arnold's direction.

Helga clenched her fists, still keeping them at her waists. Keeping her eyes on the sly redhead, knowing she was just looking for trouble.

Arnold's eyes widened as Rhonda turned towards him, "What? No! What are you talking about?!"

"Don't be silly Arnold! You know you enjoyed that oh so special kiss we shared!" Amanda continued to stare at him with half lidded eyes.

"Kiss?!" Rhonda exclaimed as Gerald and Phoebe stood there in shock.

Feeling trapped, Arnold tried to fight back. "No! I did not enjoy it! She set me up!"

Rubbing her face in frustration, Rhonda shouted, "How am I supposed to throw a decent party with THIS being the couple's latest news?!"

Making her way to the front of the group, Helga exclaimed. "Give it a rest Princess!" Turning to point at Amanda, she scowled, "As for YOU Ms. Goody Two Shoes! If you ever come near my boyfriend again, I'll take your pigtails and wring them around your neck! Got it!"

With that, the room went silent. Amanda walked away, a smile still on her face. Arnold knew he hadn't seen the last of her.

The four of them went back to the table as Rhonda went back to passing out the invitations. A moment of silence took place as Helga sat there with her arms crossed in annoyance, while Arnold thought to himself _She announced in front of the whole school I'm her boyfriend!_

Before any conversations could be started, the bell rang. Arnold wasn't sure if he should kiss Helga goodbye, or if this was one of those times she just needed some space. Rubbing the back of his neck, he looked at her and said. "I guess I'll see you after school."

Giving a calm look, she replied, "Okay, good luck on your test."

Watching her walk away, he once again had forgotten about his test. Hopefully, everything she taught him would prove itself to have stuck with him once he saw the test.

"Hey Arnold! Ready to go?" Gerald called, as he watched his friend stare at his girlfriend walking further away from him.

"Uhh yeah. Sorry." Arnold said, as he turned in Gerald's direction.

"So, what's this about you kissing Amanda?" Gerald insisted on knowing.

"Well, you remember when she said the only way she'd give back the ring was if I went on a date with her?" Arnold began.

"Right." Gerald listened.

"When I told Helga, she insisted I take Amanda to the library for our 'date' while she worked on her poem. Then when we were both ready, we'd meet at FTi, later that night. On my way out of the library, Amanda grabbed me and kissed me." Arnold finished, rubbing his neck.

" .mmm. And Helga still accepted your proposal?" Gerald asked.

"She knows how much I love her. I just wish there was a way to make Amanda leave us alone. Which reminds me, I also have to think of a way to get rid of Arnie. What a disaster!" Arnold sighed as Gerald shook his head.

"Well, good luck on your test buddy!" Gerald said, as the two did their secret handshake.

Arnold sat down at his desk, as the teacher passed out the tests. "Class, when you're finished. Place the test on my desk, and you are dismissed."

Although his mind drifted every few minutes, Arnold was able to understand the material. Surprisingly, he was not the last one to leave the classroom. After stopping by his locker, Arnold decided to go outside to wait for Helga. Instead, he saw Arnie.

"Arnie? What are you doing here?!" Arnold asked, not expecting to see his cousin.

"Snort. I told Amanda I'd pick her up. Snort. We're going to the park." Arnie replied, as Arnold gave him a sympathetic look. "Listen Arnie, can I talk to you for a second?"

"Snort. Okay." he replied as Arnold walked him away from the front of the school.

"Listen, I know this may be hard to hear, but I don't think Amanda really likes you. I think she's just using you to get to me. I'm only telling you this so you don't continue to waste your time with her." Arnold explained.

"Snort. Oh okay. Can I take Helga then? Snort. You can have Amanda." Arnie suggested.

"What? No! Helga and I are getting married!" Arnold exclaimed, shocked his cousin would be so bold as to suggest something such as that.

"I know. Snort. I got your invite." Arnie replied.

"Then, why are you asking to be with Helga?" Arnold insisted on knowing.

Shrugging his shoulders, Arnie replied "Snort. She fascinates me. She likes purple gum. Snort."

Just then, the doors to the school opened. Arnold turned to see Helga coming out, but not Amanda.

Helga rolled her eyes at the sight of Arnold standing with Arnie. Were they really going to have to walk home with him?

"Snort. Hey Helga." Arnie said as she began to approach them. Rather than responding, she walked right past them.

Not wanting to fall behind, Arnold said, "Uhh I gotta go Arnie. Remember what I told you about Amanda."

"Snort. Okay." Arnie replied, as he continued to stand by the door.

Catching up with Helga, Arnold shouted, "Helga! Wait for me!"

She stopped to let him catch up as she asked, "Am I waiting for you or you and your weirder half?"

"Don't worry, he's not following us. He's waiting for Amanda. Even though I told him, she's just using him to get to me." Arnold admitted.

"Well that's just perfect! Now he's NEVER going to leave us alone!" she scowled, throwing her hands in the air.

Taking her hand, he looked at her with pleading eyes as he replied. "Helga! I promise I'll think of something! Just give me some time!"

Rolling her eyes at his desperation, she sighed "Fine, but you BETTER think of something!"

Lacing his fingers into hers, he began to guide her down the sidewalk. "Whatever you say Helga."

Trying to forget about his cousin, Helga asked, "So, how'd that math test of your's go?"

Looking over at her, he replied, "Actually, I don't think I did too bad...thanks to you!"

Trying not to blush too hard, she replied. "Good, because the second week of tutoring is when I start charging people!"

"I'd pay anything to spend time with you." he smiled, squeezing her hand tighter, as she looked away. Not knowing exactly what to say at that moment.

"So...uh...Pheebs and Geraldo want to be at the wedding. I guess that means San Lorenzo's out of the question." she said, breaking the silence.

"True, but we've still got the beach...or somewhere else." Arnold said, as he looked across the street. While discussing their plans for the wedding, they began to pass Helga's house.

"What are you looking at football head?" she scowled, wondering what was on his mind.

"Oh, I was just wondering if Rhonda's through with the invitations?" he responded.

"Okay? What's Princess' hard labor have to do with you eyeing my house?" Helga insisted on knowing.

"Do you know if she made an invitation for your family?" Arnold asked, almost wanting to take it back.

"I don't know Arnoldo! Every time she asked my opinion about something, she discarded it like a bag of yesterday's garbage! Sheesh!" Helga exclaimed as she took back her hand from Arnold. Looking back and forth from his unhappy girlfriend to her unwelcoming home, he asked "Would you _want_ them there, if they were willing to come?"

She uncrossed her arms and widened her eyes. The only topic she grew up feeling just as insecure about as she was her love for Arnold, was her home life. "Arnold! Just forget them! Okay?!"

After demanding he drop the idea of making her family part of their wedding, she stormed off towards the boarding house. Arnold couldn't help but stand there a minute longer. _How could they treat someone so smart, loyal, brave, and intelligent so terribly?_

After his few moments of sympathy for Helga, he began to head in her direction. He stopped to see her standing in front of Gerald field, talking to Sid, Stinky, and Harold.

 _Oh no, I hope they're not harassing her about the wedding!_ He thought to himself. As he moved closer to her, Arnold heard…

"Whilikers! That was a mighty fine threat you put up towards Ms. Amanda today Helga!" Stinky said in awe.

"Yeah, looks like Awwnowd's gonna need you as his bodyguard!" Harold laughed.

"Boy howdy! Hope you enjoy that Helga!" Sid pointed out, as Arnold approached them, rolling his eyes.

"What's going on you guys?" Arnold asked. Helga turned to him with her hand on her waist and said, "I was just reassuring the guys you won't have to worry about sluts like Amanda with a wife like me to protect you!"

Arnold wrapped his arm around Helga thinking to himself _Looks like everyone has finally gotten used to the idea of us being a couple._

Just then, Rhonda walked up to the field, as if she had been looking for them. "There you boys are!"

"What's up Ms. Rhonda?" Stinky asked, as the boys turned to face her.

"Well! Thanks to that slut with the outdated shoes, I was unable to finish handing out my invitations to Arnold and Helga's engagement party next Saturday!" Rhonda explained, as she handed the boys their own invitations.

Arnold gulped, as he thought to himself _Oh no! Maybe the guys didn't hear what the fight was about?_

"So, it's official. You two are tying the knot!" Sid said in disbelief.

Helga glared at him, continuing to hold a hand on her waist, as she raised the other finger at him. "Yep! And you geeks better get us something good from the registry! Nothing cheap!" Arnold turned to look at Helga, amazed at her confidence. She had gone from being content with revealing their relationship in public, to demanding other people's appreciation of it!

"Well, I wreckin' I can dig up a few dollars from my old school piggy bank." Stinky assumed, as he scratched his head. Turning his attention from his fiance to his friends, Arnold smiled at the idea of their support and approval.

"Awwww a stupid wedding party! I don't want to dress up!" Harold whined as Rhonda immediately turned her head to him. "You will be there, and you will look GOOD, Harold! No one looks bad at one of MY parties!"

"Umm technically, isn't it Arnold's party?" Sid corrected her, as she turned to glare at him. "I'M passing out the snacks, I'M passing out the invites, I'M hosting it at MY house….it's MY party that I'm throwing FOR Arnold and Helga!" Rhonda insisted as Arnold and Helga rolled their eyes at her selfish pride.

"We have to go guys. See you next week!" Arnold said, as he directed Helga towards the boarding house. Watching her stare at the ground, as if she was looking for a rock to kick (as she did when she was feeling troubled) he spoke "I'm impressed with how you handled that."

Looking over at him with an almost offended look, she asked. "Handled what?"

Stopping to think for a moment, he responded, "Everything today actually. Reciting your poem about me, standing up to Amanda, insisting the guys come to the shower. You did it all while showing confidence about your relationship with me."

Helga began to blush as she forced herself to look at him. "Eh, guess I finally realized it's not the hardest thing in the world, when you're marrying the man of your dreams."

At that moment, the two of them were coming up on the boarding house. Helga's words had struck Arnold's heart just as his presence had done to hers all throughout the years. He pulled her close and said, "Let's take the fire escape!"

Raising part of her eyebrow at him, she asked, "What for?"

Lowering his head and scratching his back, Arnold responded. "I...I just don't want to have to talk to everyone right now."

Shrugging her shoulders at him, she began to climb the escape. Walking behind her, Arnold watched her long slender legs traveling up the steps in those pink capris. Her thin waist that was complemented by the tight yellow t-shirt she was wearing, as she stretched her arms for the next level. The way her golden hair blew back in the wind. Striking him in the face a few times, he enjoyed it's fresh vanilla scent.

"Okay football head! Thanks for the work out." she said wittingly, as the two entered his bedroom through the window. The moment her feet touched the floor, a set of arms were around her waist. Setting her bag down for her, Arnold threw her onto the bed. As he pressed his lips against hers, all he could think about was the work they'd gone through to reach the point of her comfortability with their relationship. _She's finally over her insecurities!_ He thought to himself, as he wrapped his tongue around hers. Wanting to take off their shirts, he couldn't let go of her lips. Instead, he slid his hands under her shirt, beginning to feel her breasts. As he squeezed them tight, he felt her body begin to stiffen. Swirling his fingers around her nipples, her tongue loosened from his. He could sense her wanting to let out one of her love sick sighs.

Finally able to release his lips, Arnold stood up to take off his shirt. Unable to move, Arnold pulled Helga up to lift off her shirt. He could feel the goosebumps that had formed all across her body. Seeing her lip quiver, he whispered "Are you alright?"

As she nodded her head, looking at him with her deep blue eyes, he began to unhook her bra. Again that cloud of vulnerability was hanging over her head. Not being tied up, she was simply okay with the idea of showing a sign of weakness. Was that really what returning her feelings for Arnold was considered to be, however? A sign of weakness?

Beginning to pull off her pants, Arnold noticed a troubled look in her eyes. "Is something wrong?" Looking at him, she responded, "All my life, I've been afraid to express my feelings for you. I'm ashamed to admit I acted as though exposing our relationship to everyone would be a sign of weakness for myself."

Seeing her eyes begin to water, he replied. "That's just who you are. You're as sour as you are sweet, tough as you are insecure, powerful as you are vulnerable. Your split personality is your most admirable quality."

She threw her arms around him as he began to kiss her neck. Laying there with her eyes closed, he whispered "You're the strongest person I know."

Getting up to grab the condoms they had almost regretted buying earlier that week, Arnold walked over to his desk drawer. As Helga laid on the bed, awaiting his return, her phone beeped.

"Who's texting you?" Arnold asked so quickly, it was as if he knew it was coming.

Helga sighed peacefully, as she responded. "I don't know. My phone's in my bag, and I don't feel like grabbing it."

After putting on his protection, Arnold climbed back on top of Helga. Seeing her begin to blush, he asked, "Does this make you uncomfortable?"

It was almost as if she took the question as a challenge. The second she heard those words, her eyes widened, and Arnold felt himself being pulled down as she wrapped her legs around him. Hovering over her, he pushed in and out as she moved her hands from his back to the sheets on the mattress, squeezing them tight. Watching her lay there panting, hesitating to moan, Arnold would never tell her what he saw. A gentle, helpless flower, ready to admit defeat.

Keeping his focus on her angelic face, he didn't hear the door knob turning. Feeling his strength begin to weaken, Arnold closed his eyes as he continued to push his way in and out. Eventually opening his eyes, he turned his head to see his eerie relative standing beside them.

"ARNIE?!" Arnold gasped, using whatever bit of breath he had left inside of him.

"Snort. Hey." Arnie responded casually, not caring he had invaded their privacy.

Hearing that snort, Helga's eyes immediately shot open. Seeing the eye twitching, helicopter hat spinning, gum chewing freak standing before her naked body, she screamed. "AHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Not being phased by her reaction, Arnie stood still as he watched Helga pull the covers up over her chest. Arnold ran for his shorts as he asked, "What are you doing in here?!"

Occasionally glancing at Helga's trembling body, he responded. "You were right about Amanda. Snort. She just wanted to see you. Snort. So I broke up with her."

"Perfect." Helga muttered to herself, forgetting for a brief second she was naked.

Remembering Arnie's interest in Helga, Arnold said, "Arnie why don't you go downstairs. We can talk about this later."

"Snort. Okay." Arnie said, as Arnold pushed him out into the hallway, locking him out.

Helga watched angrily, as she scowled. "I can't help but feel if we had come in through the front, we wouldn't have forgotten to lock the door?!"

Sighing as he continued to get dressed, Arnold replied. "I guess I should go talk to Arnie for a minute."

Helga rolled her eyes as she watched him leave the room. Getting dressed, she remembered her phone had beeped earlier.

Looking at it, she saw it was from Olga. _Olga? What could she want?_

Ring...Ring...Ring...

"Oh baby sister! I just received your engagement party invitation!"

 _Perfect!_ Helga thought to herself. _Did Rhonda pay no attention to the fact that my family was included under the MAYBE invite list?! What am I saying? She's Rhonda! Only HER opinion matters!_

Dropping her phone to the floor, Helga fell back on the bed. As she laid there staring at the clouds pass through the great glass ceiling, Arnold was downstairs, trying to talk some sense into Arnie.

"Listen Arnie, my parents told me your family's not doing so good right now?" Arnold mentioned, hoping to get the conversation going smoothly.

Keeping his same dull expression, Arnie responded. "Snort. We're about to lose the farm."

Arnold's eyes grew wide as he listened attentively.

"Snort. My parents didn't think it would be wise to keep me around while they straighten things out with the people who may be taking it away. Snort." Arnie finished explaining.

"Uh huh...did they say how long that might take?" Arnold felt guilty for asking, but he knew Helga would immediately want to know.

"Snort. No idea." Arnie replied, as he got up and walked away. Arnold continued to sit on the couch, as Phil walked in. Just as Arnie walked past, a chill creeped through Phil's body. "Uhhh… that kid creeps me out!" Phil said, as he sat in his rocker, across from Arnold.

Looking over at his depressed grandson, he asked. "Hey! What's eatin' ya shortman?!"

"Grandpa, I don't know what to do about Arnie?" Arnold began, as Phil interrupted.

"Yeah, you're not the only one! That kid keeps makin' your grandma make raspberry cobbler for dinner, just so he can count the raspberries!"

Sighing at his remark, Arnold leaned forward in his seat, staring at the floor. "Arnie told me about the trouble his family's in. Do you think he'll be here much longer?"

"I don't know shortman? But you're not the only one who wants to get rid of 'em, that's for sure!" Phil responded.

"Thanks grandpa." Arnold sighed, as he stood up to go back to his room. Little did he know, Arnie had the same idea.

When Arnie walked into the bedroom, he saw Helga, laying with her feet hanging off the bed; arms spread across it. Walking over to her, Arnie was reminded of the week they met at P.S.118. How envious he became when he saw the excitement she felt from Arnold brushing her hair. The comfort she felt from him rubbing her feet. The connection she felt with him as they shared their gum together. This made his cap spin faster than he had ever felt before.

Before Arnie knew it, he was bending over to kiss Helga. Not opening her eyes, Helga assumed it was Arnold's lips pressing against hers. Yes, Arnie was crazy enough to walk in on them during their intimate moments, but surely he had his limits?

As Helga continued enjoying the kiss with who she was sure was her true love, she suddenly heard, "What's going on?!"

Helga instantly opened her eyes, as Arnie turned around to face Arnold. After Helga let out an all too familiar scream, Arnold asked. "Arnie! What do you think you're doing?! You're kissing my girlfriend!"

Standing in between them as Helga wiped her mouth in disgust, Arnie responded. "Snort. I told you, I like Helga."

Slapping her face in disbelief she had just shared a kiss with this loser, Helga replied, "Yeah, well I despise you! Although I doubt that thick headed skull of yours even knows what that means!"

Clenching his left fist, Arnold pointed at Arnie with the other hand. "Get out of here, now!"

"Snort. Okay." Arnie replied as he exited the room.

Closing the door behind him, Arnold turned to see Helga getting off the bed to put on her shoes. "Where are you going?" he asked, worriedly. Holding her head, feeling a bit of tension, she said, "Look Arnoldo! I know you're trying to make things right, but this really isn't going well. I mean crimmeny! I can't even close my eyes for two minutes now without having to worry about who's weird lips might end up against mine!"

"I know, and I'm sorry! Apparently, he'll be here until his parents get things worked out with their farm. I don't know how long that will be…" Arnold said sadly, knowing she wouldn't be happy.

Seeing her head for the door, Arnold asked, "Wait! Are you coming back?!" Not turning back to look at him, Helga muttered, "I just need time to think about this!"

It was then Arnold decided to take a seat on his bed, and watch the clouds float by. What could he do? It wasn't his place to kick Arnie out. He couldn't force Helga to stay however, if she didn't want to.

As Helga exited the boarding house, she walked down the street, staring at the sidewalk with her hands in her pockets. A few moments later, she pulled her hand out of her pocket, and glanced at her ring. What was she going to do? She couldn't leave the one she loved. Not after all he did for her. All the times he stood by her. Seeing through her rough exterior all the way to her sweet tender heart. Despite all this, she just couldn't stand his cousin. Not only could she not stand him, their relationship was now in a threatening situation. How was she supposed to sleep at night, knowing she may not wake up next to the one she loved?

As all these crazy thoughts pondered her mind, she passed the house of her old grade school teacher, Mr. Simmons.

"Helga!" Mr. Simmons exclaimed, as she turned to see his giddy facial expression.

"Oh, hey teach. What's up?" she asked.

"I'm just out here gardening. Enjoying this beautiful day! What about you?" he wondered.

"Eh, figured I'd take a walk. Give me a chance to get away from Arnoldo's lunatic soon to be orphan cousin." Helga bluntly explained.

"Oh dear! What's wrong with his parents?" Mr. Simmons desperately requested knowing.

"Apparently the lame-o farm they live on could be taken away. His parents don't want him around while they work out the details. Can't say I'd blame them on that one! Anyway, he's stuck with Arnold 'til they get things straightened out. It's driving us all insane!"

"Oh my. That doesn't sound good! Have you thought about sending him to the Hillwood Homeless Shelter?" Mr. Simmons asked, hoping his suggestion could help them out.

Raising part of her eyebrow at him, Helga replied. "I guess not. That'd be the first place I'd send an eccentric third party relative."

Smiling at her, Mr. Simmons replied, "Well, I need to go get dinner started. It was lovely speaking to you Helga!"

"See ya Simmons." Helga responded, as she continued to walk passed his house.

Meanwhile, Stella and Pookey were cooking spaghetti in the the kitchen while Miles and Phil sat talking at the table.

"I don't know how much more I can take of that kid." Phil muttered, looking over at Miles.

"I don't think his folks are making much progress keeping the farm." Miles replied.

Suddenly, they heard someone enter the kitchen. "Helga! How are you sweetie?!" Stella asked, as she watched Helga sit down at the table.

"Eh not bad. Decided to go for a walk." she replied, holding her head up with her hand as she set her elbow against the table.

"Didn't Arnold join you?" Miles wondered, as he took note of her sad expression.

Not wanting to admit it, she replied "We kind of got into in. I walked out just to clear my head."

"Oh my! What about?" Stella asked, immediately turning towards the table, while continuing to stir the noodles.

Helga hesitated for a moment, not sure how to explain without mentioning the intimate moments she and Arnold were sharing. "Uhhh...I just don't feel like Arnold and I have enough privacy with Arnie around. You know, he's always hanging over our shoulders!"

"No arguments here!" Phil concurred.

Sighing at her, Miles said "I understand. I wish there was something we could do. We just don't know anyone else to send him to live with."

Crossing her arms over the table, she responded. "Yeah, I gotcha. One of my old teachers suggested sending him to Hillwood Homeless Shelter."

"Sounds great! Where do we sign!" Phil exclaimed.

Setting an arm on his father's shoulder, Miles replied. "Come on dad. We can't just send Arnie away when he has relatives who can give him a home."

"Why not? I don't see YOU offering to hang out with the little weirdo! How does living with a house full of relatives that ignore him sound any better than living with a house full of strangers he can connect to?!" Phil countered.

An awkward silence occurred, until Stella at last broke it. "We'll think it over Helga. Why don't you go spend time with Arnold until dinner is ready?"

"Okay, see ya." Helga replied, as she headed for his room. Opening the door to his bedroom, she saw Arnold talking to Gerald. He didn't appear to be upset about her leaving anymore. Maybe because he trusted she would return.

"Hey Helga! Heard about your special moment with Arnie!" Gerald couldn't help but tease her.

Arnold put his hand on his shoulder, as he began to notice Helga clenching her fists. "Listen Gerald, I need to talk to Helga. Maybe if Phoebe is free, the four of us can do something tomorrow?"

"Sounds good man! See ya!" Gerald walked passed Helga, as it took all her self control not to punch his lights out.

Slamming the door behind him, Helga let out a loud sigh. She walked over to sit on the bed, as Arnold set his hand on her back.

"I'm really sorry Helga!" Arnold insisted.

Crossing her arms, motioning her head towards the door, she replied "Didn't look like it."

Knowing that had to have looked bad to her, he explained. "When you left, I laid here awhile, trying to think of what to do about Arnie. There isn't anything I can do Helga. When I have a problem though, I always like to talk things out with my friends. That's why I called Gerald."

"Didn't give you the right to pass out personal information about me!" she protested.

"You're right. We've just been friends for so long, sometimes it's hard to know where to draw the line with what's appropriate to share. I'm sure you have that problem with Phoebe?" Arnold tried to counter, as he picked up her hand.

Sitting there thinking to herself _He's obviously forgetting there WAS no line to cross when it came to talking about the negativities in my family!_ She forced herself to show some empathy.

"Yeah, Pheebs has always been there for me when I needed her."

Looking into each other's eyes, they heard "Kids, dinner's ready!"

"Well, I guess we can go eat?" Arnold pointed out.

"You go ahead. I'm really not hungry. Tell your parents I said thanks though." Helga insisted.

Arnold gave her a disappointed look, as he said, "Okay, we're downstairs if you change your mind." Gently pressing his lips against hers, he ran his fingers through her hair. Looking at the smile on her face, he took one last look at her before leaving his room.

Walking downstairs, he made it into the dining room to see all the boarders eating their spaghetti, including Arnie. "Where's Eleanor, Kimba?" Pookey asked, as she placed a plate of garlic bread in the center of the table.

"She's not very hungry right now. Maybe she's just tired." Arnold replied, looking down at his plate. Trying to keep his eyes off of Arnie.

"Snort. Should I take her some food." Arnie offered, as Arnold immediately shot his head up. "NO! I mean, I'll do it myself."

"If you'd like to eat upstairs with her sweetie, we understand." Stella offered, as Arnold's face lit up.

"Great, thanks!" he replied, as he took their plates to his room.

"Lucky kids!" Phil muttered to himself, as he eyed Arnie shoveling more food onto his face than into his mouth.

Making it up the stairs, Arnold pushed the door open to see Helga sitting on the floor with a notebook and folder.

"Hey football head, whatcha got there?" Helga asked, seeing he had food for them.

"My parents said we could eat up here, so I brought you a plate." Arnold showed her as he set it on the floor beside her notebook.

Sitting next to her, leaning against his bed, he asked, "What are you working on?"

"I just thought I'd go over some wedding details. Since it looks like we'll be getting married at the beach, I thought I'd research the best spot for the ceremony." she replied, not taking her eyes off the folder.

"Are we going to get the same beach house?" Arnold asked, still surprised by her enthusiasm.

"That dump? Why would we stay there?!" Helga wondered, as Arnold shrugged his shoulders.

"We have to stay somewhere. I mean, we won't exactly be nextdoor to the boarding house." He pointed out, as she tapped her pen against her lips.

"Hmmm good point. Alright. I guess we could look into it. So, assuming we can get all our friends to come along for the ride, who's going to be in the wedding?" Helga asked, not wasting any time.

"Gerald's obviously my best man." Arnold started

"Why? Because he gives the best 'electoral speeches'?" Helga said wittingly, as Arnold rolled his eyes.

"Then I guess Sid, Harold, and Stinky could by my groomsmen." Arnold finished.

"You mean, things one, two and three?" she corrected him, as he shook his head, pushing aside his plate.

"What about you? I know Phoebe's your maid of honor. Who will your other bridesmaids be?" He asked, hoping he wouldn't upset her. She wasn't as close with the girls as he was with the guys.

Looking down at her notepad with a discreet look, she responded. "Eh, I guess Rhonda, Nadine, and Lila...assuming they want to."

Arnold kissed her on the cheek and replied. "I'm sure they'd be honored."

After spending another hour or so planning for the location of the wedding, Arnold said, "It's getting kind of late. You want to go to bed?"

Stretching her arms, she reached out for his help up and replied. "Sure, why not?"

After helping her up, he saw her head across the room towards the door. "Where are you going?"

"To lock it! The last thing I want/NEED is waking up to your cousin's gross lips pressed against mine again! Blah!" she shivered at the thought of it.

Feeling a stomach full of guilt, he walked over to hug her. Giving her a soft kiss, her whispered "I'm so sorry about that."

All she could think to do was shrug her shoulders. She knew he was sorry, but what could either of them do about it?

"Words can't describe the anger I felt when I saw him touching you like that!" Arnold said, digging his fingers into her back.

"Sheesh Arnoldo! You're holding me, not him!" she scowled.

"I'm sorry. I just got caught up in the heat of the moment I guess." he laughed, feeling embarrassed.

"Pttss….whatever. Let's just get some shut eye." She replied.

Picking up their plates, he said. "Okay, but first let me take our dishes downstairs."

Crossing her arms at the thought of having to unlock the door, she replied "Fine. If you're not back in five minutes though, you're sleeping on the couch!"

Making it to the kitchen, Arnold saw Miles eating a plate of cookies. "Hey son! Want a few cookies?"

"Uh, no thanks dad. I think Helga and I are going to bed." Arnold said, setting the dishes in the sink.

"You can tell her we're going to be looking at the H.H.S. tomorrow!" Miles replied, while receiving a confused look from Arnold.

"H.H.S? What's that?" he replied.

"The Hillwood Homeless Shelter. Helga said one of your old teachers gave her the idea when she went on a walk. I guess you two had a bit of a fight? We were surprised you didn't join her." Miles explained as Arnold began to turn away.

"Yeah, Arnie's just been getting in Helga's business. Plus, it doesn't help that he's in love with her!" Arnold couldn't help but mention.

"He's in love with her?" Miles questioned, setting his snack aside.

"Arnie came with me to school in fourth grade. When he went out with my friend Lila, who I at the time liked, Helga tried to help me make Lila jealous. All it did was make Arnie jealous of her, and he's liked her ever since." Arnold sighed while Miles couldn't help but laugh a little.

"Well tell her not to worry. If all goes well tomorrow, this place should be good for him." Miles insisted, as he patted his son on the back.

"Really?" Arnold asked, as his eyes lit up with anticipation.

"Yes. Now why don't the two of you get some sleep!" Miles replied as he watched Arnold head upstairs.

Hoping Helga hadn't gone through with what he was sure to be an empty threat, Arnold came to find not only was the door unlocked, but she had fallen fast asleep.

He wrapped his arm around her, ecstatic once again to have worked things out. Whispering in her ear, "Thanks for not locking me out."


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21: Just a Few More Hours

The next morning, Arnold awoke to see Helga had rolled over facing him in her sleep. In her sleep, she resembled the sweet, innocent soul he knew existed under her rough exterior.

Not wanting to disturb her, he went downstairs to take a shower. To his surprise, he had missed the line of boarders and his grandpa's usual performance of "Oh my darlin'".

Getting into the shower, Arnold thought to himself as he stood under the hot water, back to his special one he had shared with Helga. This made him think to himself _I can't wait for all the wonderful moments, such as that, I'll be sharing with my future wife._

After finishing his shower, he went upstairs to get dressed. Helga was no longer in bed, which meant she had to be downstairs eating with the family. When Arnold made it to the kitchen, he saw Pookey protesting the idea of cooking that day. Phil found this to be okay, now that Miles and Stella were around to help out with the housework.

Helga had been sitting at the table with Arnie, while Miles and Stella cooked 'Eggs in a Basket' for everybody. Arnold came into see Arnie showing Helga the lint he had collected from the dryer the previous night. Also, offering her a piece of purple gum, he had hoped she would share with him. Seeing Helga place her head into her hands with frustration, Arnold came in and said, "Hey Arnie, I think my parents need your help in the kitchen."

"Snort. Okay." Arnie replied, heading for the kitchen, as Arnold sat down beside Helga. "Morning Helga." Arnold said, his voice shaking with guilt.

"Morning football head." she responded with her arms crossed, as she leaned back in her chair.

"My dad told me about the homeless shelter. They're going to look at it today." Arnold said with excitement, sure it would change her attitude.

Leaning forward in her seat again, she replied. "Yeah, they told me about it when I came downstairs. Right before lover boy over there had the nerve to ask me to share a piece of gum with him!"

Scratching the back of his neck, Arnold replied. "Well, if all goes well, you won't have to worry about that happening again."

"Let's hope not, or old betsy will make sure he won't be chewing gum for a long time!" she gave him an angry look, holding her fist.

Just then, Arnie entered the dining room as Arnold listened to him reply. "Snort. No one needed my help with anything."

As Helga rolled her eyes at his stupidity, Arnold widened his with embarrassment and responded. "Oh umm sorry. Guess I was wrong."

Arnie sat on the other side of Helga, taking his gum out of his mouth. Showing it to her, he asked. "Snort. So, did you want to share it with me?"

Helga jumped out of her seat, slamming her hands on the table and screamed. "Okay, that's it! I mean crimeny! What is with this loser?! What makes you think I want of piece of your spit covered chew ball?!" she exclaimed.

Worried she was about to throw a fist at him, or worse, leave, Arnold grabbed her. "Helga please! Just a few more hours!"

Just then, Arnold's family walked in with the food. "Breakfast is served everybody!"

The last thing Helga wanted was to be around this loser, but she wasn't one to turn down free food. She then took a seat on the other side of Arnold, as the food was being placed on the table.

Shoveling down her food, she managed to keep it in her mouth, unlike Arnie. Most of it that is. As they ate, Phil broke out with excitement, "So, when do we visit the H.H.S.? I'm so excited, I could barely sleep last night!"

Seeing Arnie at the table, Miles placed a hand on his dad's shoulder and said, "Dad! Not in here!"

The family finished breakfast as Stella asked. "So, what do you two have planned for the day?"

Seeing Helga still glaring at Arnie, Arnold replied. "Uhh we were thinking about doing something with Gerald and Phoebe. You know? Just to get out of the house."

"You're tellin' me!" Phil replied, as he joined Helga in her glare.

"That sounds lovely! You two have fun!" Stella replied, as Arnold took Helga back to his room.

Watching her stomp into the bedroom, Arnold prayed his family's trip to the H.H.S. would go well. When he saw Helga pick up her phone, he said. "I never did ask who that text was from last night. You know, right before we were uh….interrupted?" He said, almost blushing.

Rolling her eyes at him, she said. "It was from Olga! I can't believe Rhonda did that! I mean, she was under the _maybe_ invite list! But no, Princess just HAS to do things her way! Un-freakin-believable!"

Scratching the back of his head, Arnold replied. "Umm...actually Helga, I invited her."

Standing up from her seat, dropping her phone, Helga's eyes widened as she said. "You?! When?"

"Uhhh...when we were standing in front of your house yesterday. You walked ahead of me for a few minutes. I just couldn't get over the idea of your family not being at the wedding however. I also heard you say to your dad when you were telling him off, 'If you care about me at all, you'll come to the wedding.'" Seeing her clench her fists, Arnold continued

"So, I ran over to knock on the door, and Olga answered. I gave her the basic information, since I didn't have an actual invitation to hand her. Then I ran to catch up with you." he finished, as Helga just stood and stared at him.

"I'm sorry, I know it wasn't my place to do that." he apologized.

"Darn right it wasn't, hairboy!" she exclaimed, finally finding her voice.

"I just wanted at least one of your relatives to be there. Despite how much Olga irritates you, she DOES love you, Helga! Your parents do too, they just do a lousy job of showing it. The way they neglect you is unacceptable, but it doesn't mean they don't still have feelings for you." Arnold explained as Helga's angry facial features began to loosen. She sat on the bed, staring at the floor, while Arnold walked over to her.

"I'm really sorry! I know this if OUR wedding, and I wasn't trying to go behind your back." he explained as she muttered "Yeah, well you did."

Rolling his eyes at her, he continued. "If they don't show up, I'm not going to drag them to it. I just felt they deserved an invitation."

Sighing at his good nature, she replied. "Whatever floats your boat, football head."

As he began to rub her back, a thought popped into his head. "Listen, I have an idea."

She turned to have him, "Yeah, and what's that?"

Knowing it would probably upset her, he went through with it anyway. "Rhonda said we're behind schedule planning this. Why don't you see what Phoebe is up to today? Then the two of you can go over and plan some more details for the wedding with her. She's bound to have a list of things we need to know by the end of this month. Why not get a jump on it?" he insisted, looking at her irritated face.

Scowling at him, she asked. "Oh, and what may I ask will you be doing all day? Sitting on your butt, while I'm doing all the work for this thing?!"

"How about I go to the H.H.S. with my parents to make sure they have plenty of reasons as to why it would be a great place for Arnie to stay?" he replied.

Crossing her arms, she sighed. "Fine! You better come through for us, though!"

Smiling at her, he hugged her tight. "How could I not? You always do for me."

Letting go of her anger, she picked up her phone to call Phoebe.

 _Ring Ring Ring_

"Hello" A squeaky voice responded.

"Hey Pheebs. What's goin' on?"

"Oh not much. Just looking over some class notes."

"Uh huh? Listen, I thought we could walk over to Princess' house and see what all she has in store for the wedding."

"That sounds delightful, Helga."

"Meet ya there."

"Meeting!"

Hanging up the phone, Helga looked to Arnold. "Well, guess we're going to Rhonda's. If I'm in a bad mood for the next year, it's your fault."

"Whatever you say, Helga." Arnold replied with half lidded eyes, as the two headed downstairs.

The two of them made it down the stairs as Arnold's parents and grandparents were heading out the door as well.

"Hey son. We're heading to the H.H.S. now. I think Arnie is still upstairs." Miles informed him.

"Actually dad, I was thinking I could go with you guys to check it out, while Helga goes over some wedding details with our friends." Arnold said, rubbing his neck.

"Sounds like she's getting the better end of the deal." Phil replied as Helga rolled her eyes.

"Of course you can come sweetie." Stella replied, as they all headed out the door.

Arnold and his family headed a seperate way from Helga, as Rhonda's house was on the opposite side of town from the H.H.S.

Helga made it to Rhonda's just as Phoebe did. "Good morning Helga, does Rhonda know we're here?"

"Nah. Figured I'd surprise her. If she has a heart attack, it's just one less person to worry about inviting." Helga said, placing a hand on her hip.

The two walked up the stoop steps, as Helga rang the doorbell. Rhonda answered, waving her nails in the air, as she had just finished painting them.

"Helga! Phoebe! What are you two doing here?" She asked as Helga thought to herself, _I'm wondering the same thing._

"Seeing as how you said Helga's a bit behind with the planning, we thought this maybe a good time to see if you had anymore ideas on what to do next to prepare for it." Phoebe responded.

"But of course! I mean, I AM your Wedding Planner!" Rhonda reminded them, as Helga rolled her eyes. "Come, have a seat by the computer!" Rhonda invited them in.

Sitting at the desk in the living room, Rhonda looked at Helga. "Now Helga, Arnold told me you've decided to have your wedding on May 31."

Looking at her with unenthused eyes, she replied. "Yeah, we're going to get married at the beach. That is, if everyone can make it."

"Oh that's so romantic! It's going to take some work, however!" Rhonda exclaimed, as Helga thought to herself _Shouldn't be a problem for you then._

"Now, most of the things on the first list I've made, we've taken care of already." Rhonda said, as she showed them the list…

Wedding Folder

Work out Budget

Wedding Party People

Engagement Party

Guest List

Planner

Reserve Date

Book Wedding Officiant

Research Photographers/Bands/Florists/Caterers

Rhonda handed over the list as Helga once again wondered what she was getting herself into. Phoebe scanned it and replied. "My Rhonda! You sure are on top of things!"

Taking back the list, Rhonda said, "What we need to focus on now is finding you a wedding officiant."

"Which is?" Helga asked, lifting her eyebrow.

"A wedding officiant is a licensed professional in charge of leading the ceremony." Phoebe explained as Rhonda smiled.

"Well, I guess I could ask Tish the name of the guy who did her wedding. Maybe he's still alive?" Helga suggested, leaning back in her chair.

"Excellent! Now for the last, yet most important part of the list!" Rhonda exclaimed as Helga began to look at her with more attentive eyes. "Which is?"

"Picking things such as your Photographer, your Band, your Florists, your Caterer, etc."

"Oh crimeny!" Helga said, smacking her face as Phoebe patted her back.

Meanwhile, on the other side of town, Arnold's family had just made it to the H.H.S. They were immediately greeted as they walked through the doors. "Welcome everyone to the Hillwood Homeless Shelter! How may I help you?"

"Yes, we're trying to get rid of a freaky kid. How soon can you take him?" Phil explained as Miles bumped him.

"Well, here at Hillwood Homeless Shelter, everyone is welcome. Let me give you the grand tour!" The manager said as the Shortman family followed him down the halls. There they saw bedrooms with bunk beds while other rooms were filled with cots for the residents to sleep on. They saw cafeterias with counter tables to eat together, game rooms for the residents, and a laundry room the size of the boarding house. Arnold saw it thinking to himself _Arnie would never run out of lint here._

"Well, this place certainly does seem lovely." Stella admitted. Miles looked around, as he couldn't help but agree with her. "Yeah. Although it doesn't seem right to just send him away, I'm sure he'd be happy here."

"We'd be even happier if he was here, where do we sign?" Phil insisted.

"More importantly, what is the cost?" Stella asked.

"We never want anyone to go without a home. Therefore, the cost is only five dollars a day." The manager responded.

"That's great!" Arnold replied, looking at his parents.

"That can add up quickly son. Especially since we don't know how long he'll be with us." Miles pointed out.

"All the more reason to get rid of 'em." Phil argued.

Looking into Arnold's pleading eyes, Stella said. "How about we go home and talk to Arnie? If he's okay with it, we'll do it."

Arnold lifted his head excitedly, knowing there was still hope.

Meanwhile, Helga didn't know if there would ever be hope of the day with her wedding coordinator coming to an end.

"Okay, we've got Dino Spumoni for the music, Mrs. Vitello for the flowers, I suppose Mr. Green can help with the catering. Personally, I don't see why anyone there would want steaks and hamburgers. I do have some friends however, whom I could get to help out with that. We just need to find you a photographer!" Rhonda explained as Helga leaned back in her chair.

"Perhaps Mr. Simmons knows someone from P.S. 118 who could help us out. Kids have their picture taken every year for the yearbook." Phoebe suggested.

"Oh Phoebe, a yearbook photographer is nothing like a wedding photographer." Rhonda shook her head at the suggestion.

Rolling her eyes at the thought, Helga replied. "Well, now that Olga's coming to the engagement party, I guess I could ask for the number of the photographer she booked for 'her' wedding. That is, before her loser fiance walked out on her."

"Perfect! Now, starting tomorrow we'll spend the week getting in touch with these people. You know, booking them for date of the wedding. Then the following week, we'll have just a few more things to take care of for the month to get us back on schedule." Rhonda said proudly, as Phoebe listened attentively. "What are the other things which need to be taken care of the month?"

"We will need to purchase a wedding dress, and reserve hotel rooms for any out of town guests...which I suppose will be all of us." Rhonda replied.

"Ya think?" Helga scowled.

"Normally, we would have to worry about a wedding website, but I'm already on top of that!" Rhonda said proudly as Helga thought to herself _Of course you are!_

"Oh, and I would HIGHLY suggest working out the budgeting with Arnold tonight!" Rhonda insisted, as Phoebe continued to listen politely.

Helga took that as an excuse to leave. "Well, thanks for the help Princess. Guess we'll be on our way." She grabbed Phoebe and headed for the door as Rhonda began looking at the information she had planned for them the rest of the month.

Leaving Rhonda's house, Phoebe watched Helga's discouraged face. "Is everything okay Helga. I can't help but notice you seem a pit, perturbed?"

Kicking a rock at her feet, Helga said, "I'm about to marry the man of my dreams, but each day has me wondering is it worth all this trouble? He had a cool idea to elope in San Lorenzo. Ya know, just the two of us. Now here I am taking orders from Princess!" she said, venting her anger.

"Helga, do you really believe Arnold isn't worth putting up with a few months of stressful event planning? I know this has never been in your best interest, but I also know HE has always been your number one interest." Phoebe pointed out.

Listening to her friend, Helga was then reminded of her poetry teacher bringing up their topic on commitment. How everything worth hanging onto was worth facing even the toughest challenges in life.

Thinking about this, she turned to her best friend and said, "Thanks Pheebs. You're a good friend!"

After walking her best friend home, Helga made it back to the boarding house to see Arnold sitting on the stoop. Seeing her approach him, Arnold looked up and said "Hey Helga, how'd the event planning go?" She sat down beside her beloved and replied. "Eh, no worse than last time I suppose. So, why are you sitting out here?"

"My parents are talking to Arnie about the homeless shelter. I thought I'd give them some privacy." he replied.

"Yeah, I mean it's not like you have a bedroom or anything." Helga pointed out.

Wrapping his arm around her, he responded. "Whatever you say Helga. So, are we still behind schedule?"

Looking at the ground, she replied. "Actually, once we figure out the budgeting for this big event, we should be right on schedule. The week's not going to be to fun though. The next YEAR doesn't sound like it will be too fun."

"What's happening this week?" Arnold asked curiously, sad to see her so upset.

"Rhonda says we have to book a band, a florist, a caterer, an officiant, a photographer. Now that we've got all that stuff, we need to spend next week confirming it with those people.

A smile came to Arnold's face as he replied, "Sounds great!"

"Yeah, I guess we'll need to talk to your parents about the budgeting. My pockets aren't exactly loaded with gold!" Helga pointed out, as Arnold smiled at her. "I can talk to them about it tomorrow. I'm sure they'll be exhausted by the time they finish with Arnie."

"Pttss...can't say I'd blame them there!" Helga replied, as the door opened behind them.

"You two can come inside now. We finished our discussion with Arnie." Stella informed them, as they anxiously entered the boarding house.

Walking to the kitchen, they all sat down at the table, while Arnold didn't hesitate to ask. "So what did he say? What's going to happen?"

"We're going to take him there tomorrow to look at it himself son. If he likes what he sees, he'll stay." Miles replied.

Arnold's eyes lit with relief, as Helga crossed her arms thinking _He better like it!_

"Well, I guess Helga and I are going to go to bed. We both had long days." Arnold replied, as he took her upstairs to his room.

Entering his bedroom, Arnold saw Arnie sitting on his bed, going through Helga's poetry notebooks.

"Arnie! What are you doing?" he asked, as Arnie put down the book. "Snort. Just reading. Snort. I like counting the words in the books."

Helga stomped over to snatched the book out of his hand, thinking to herself. _He'll be gone soon! Deep breath! Just remember...commitment!_

"Snort. Well, I should be going. Snort. Good night Helga." Arnie replied, as Arnold watched him walk out the door.

Shutting the door behind him, Arnold replied "I'm really sorry Helga. I know we don't exactly have a lot of personal space right now."

"Pttss… What are you complaining about? He didn't read your intimate journals." Helga blushed, wishing she hadn't said that.

Arnold began to walk over, kissing her as she set the book down. Taking off her shirt, he replied. "No, but he saw yours." She began to blush as she shoved him off the bed. Taking off the rest of her clothes, she picked up her nightgown, that was fortunately near that side of the bed.

After Arnold changed into his pajamas, he laid on top of her in her lavender gown and said, "I wouldn't mind if this was your wedding dress." Trying not to blush at him, he kissed her, slipping his hand underneath her gown. Feeling her smooth skin, he couldn't help but ask. "Do you know where the honeymoon is going to be at?"

"Uhh...I didn't ask. I wanted to get away from Princess A.S.A.P." Helga explained as Arnold replied. "That's up to us, not her?"

"Yeah, I guess you're right. You got a place in mind?" she wondered, looking at him.

Scratching the back of his head, he replied "We could fly to San Lorenzo. Visit the spot I confessed my love to you."

"That Geraldo was nice enough to interrupt." She finished.

"Uh yeah? You can't blame him for being as shocked as he was though." Arnold began to back him up as she shrugged her shoulders. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

Reaching for the light, Arnold said to her. "I love you, let's get some sleep."

That night, Helga slept soundly, while Arnold had a terrible dream...

" _Hey man! You're wedding's next week! How do you feel?" Gerald asked._

" _A little nervous, but still excited!" Arnold replied._

" _Well, see you tomorrow!" Gerald said, going there secret handshake_

 _Turning to see Arnie in his face, Arnold gasped. "Arnie, what's wrong?"_

" _Snort. I have a question?" Arnie asked._

" _Uh sure?" Arnold replied._

" _I won't ask to come to the wedding if you let me take Helga away for the week?" Arnie asked_

" _WHAT?!" Arnold asked._

 _Helga entered the room, seeing the two talking._

" _What's going on?" she asked._

" _Snort. Will you come to the farm with me next week?" Arnie asked._

" _Excuse me?" she replied_

" _I just want you to see the farm." Arnie countered._

 _As Arnold was about to send him away, she replied "Fine, whatever!"_

 _Gasping, Arnold replied. "WHAT?! Arnie, could you give us a moment?"_

" _Snort. Okay." Arnie replied as he left the room_

 _Taking her arm, Arnold replied. "Helga, what are you doing?!"_

 _Shrugging her shoulders, she replied. "Hey, it's going to get him off our backs isn't it?"_

" _I don't want you around him alone!" Arnold replied._

" _Sheesh football head, I can take care of myself!" Helga scowled._

" _Snort. My ride's here. Are you coming Helga?" Arnie asked._

 _Seeing Helga look back and forth between him and Arnie, she replied…._


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22: Did It Mean Anything?

"Hey Arnold! Hey Arnold! Hey Arnold!" Arnold shot up to hear his alarm going off, feeling his head covered in sweat. Looking over, he saw he was alone in his bed. He ran downstairs in his pajamas to find Helga. Sitting in the dining room, he saw everyone EXCEPT her. "Where's Helga? Have you seen her?" he asked anxiously.

"Your friend Rhonda called this morning for her sweetie. She insisted they get a jump on booking everyone you'll need at your wedding." Stella informed him.

Arnold sighed with relief. "Sit down and have breakfast with us son!" Miles insisted, as Arnold sat at the table with them in his pajamas.

"So, are we going to look at the H.H.S. again today?" Arnold asked.

"You bet, shortman!" Phil said excitedly.

"Arnie's still getting dressed. After everybody's finished eating, we'll take him to look at it." Stella replied.

While the boarders were enjoying their breakfast, Rhonda was enjoying leading the girls on another adventurous day of wedding planning. "Now Helga, I assume you've gotten in touch with Tish?"

"Yeah, who would have thought she'd be at her house?" Helga scowled, as the three of them began to walk over there.

"Do you happen to know how much a wedding officiant is Rhonda?" Phoebe wondered.

Flipping her hair at the two of them, Rhonda responded. "Well, it really all depends on the experience. Someone old and retired could be booked for as cheap a price as one hundred dollars. If you want a professional, expect to pay anymore from two to five hundred dollars."

"Oh my!" Phoebe replied as Helga rolled her eyes, knowing this wasn't going to be cheap.

As her eyes lit with anticipation, Rhonda screamed, "We're here!"

The three of them walked to the doorway as Helga knocked. "I don't believe I've seen Tish since I was on Coach Wittenburg's bowling team." Rhonda remembered.

"Yeah, Tish was a pretty good coach." Helga said, as the door suddenly opened.

"Helga! You girls come on in!" Tish exclaimed, as the girls came inside.

"Thank you Mrs. Wittenburg." Phoebe responded shyly.

Noticing Helga's ring, Tish grabbed her hand and exclaimed. "Oh my gosh! Look at the size of this thing! That young Arnold's going to be quite a keeper!"

"Speaking of the wedding, we came to see if you remembered the name of your wedding officiant! You've got to figure these things out early, you know!" Rhonda pointed out, as Helga rolled her eyes.

"That's very true. His name was Jack Perry. I've still got his number in my purse." Tish said.

Rhonda nearly jumped for joy as she replied. "Oh that's wonderful!"

"That is quite convenient!" Phoebe replied, while Helga stood there with her hands on her hips.

"I'll go get the number for you." Tish offered, as the girls waited in the living room.

"See Helga, this is going well." Phoebe assured her, as Helga gave a weak smile.

Returning with the number, Tish replied. "Here you are girls! I've also written down the name of the place I got my dress from. Make sure to send me an invitation!"

"It's actually taking place at the beach. I don't know if you'd feel like driving all the way out there." Helga replied casually.

"Wow! That sounds romantic. You've changed quite a bit." Tish said, winking at Helga, as she began to blush. Thinking back to the day Helga had her dress fitting as Tish's maid of honor. Tish told Helga her bad girl attitude reminded Tish of herself when she was little. She picked on the boy she loved, rather than coming forward with the truth about her feelings.

"Yeah, well we should be going. Thanks for the info." Helga said, rushing the girls out of there.

On the other side of town, the Shortmans were bringing Arnie to take a look at the H.H.S. The moment they made it inside, everyone pointed their eyes at Arnie. He began to observe the place, with his usual unamused facial expression. After a minute or so, the manager approached them, and said. "You're back! Have you considered staying here?"

"Quicker than you know!" Phil said, as Miles bumped him.

"Actually, we decided to bring our nephew here, to take a look at the place himself." Miles explained.

Arnie finished looking around the room, as he turned to the manager and asked. "Where's the laundry room?"

Thinking he was joking, the manager replied. "That's funny, most of our new residents want to know where the cafeteria is."

Stella patted Arnie on the back as they began to lead him down the halls with the manager. Arnie took a look at the bunk beds in the rooms the residents shared. He viewed the joined countertops in the cafeteria where the residents shared meals with each other; including the gumball machines. He saw the stacks of board games and puzzles there were for him to count in the game room the residents used to pass the time. Finally, he saw the laundry room, with lint traps needing to be cleaned.

"So, what do you think son?" the manager asked, as everyone looked at Arnie.

"Snort. It's okay. Snort. Can I sleep in the laundry room?" Arnie asked.

Never having been asked that before, the manager responded. "Well, it would get in the way of the other residents. If you like, you can help us clean in there every day?"

"Snort. Okay. Snort. I'll stay." Arnie replied as Arnold's heart was full of relief. Hopefully this meant his dream meant nothing.

"Wahoo! When does he move in?" Phil asked anxiously.

Looking at the family, the manager replied. "Why don't you gather his things tonight, and bring him back tomorrow morning?"

"Sounds lovely!" Stella responded, as they turned to leave.

As they left the shelter, Miles and Stella walked ahead with Arnie, while Phil and Arnold followed behind them. "I don't think I've ever been so happy shortman!" Phil exclaimed, as he patted his grandson's back. Seeing Arnold's unhappy expression, Phil couldn't help but ask. "Hey, what's eatin' ya shortman?"

"I had kind of a weird dream last night grandpa." Arnold said, continuing to stare at the ground.

"It couldn't have been any weirder than your cousin up there." Phil argued, pointing to Arnie.

"Actually, it was ABOUT Arnie." Arnold respond.

"I stand corrected." Phil replied, as Arnold went on to explain.

"In my dream, Arnie agreed not to come to the wedding." he began as Phill interrupted. "Mama-loni! This day just gets better and better!"

"He said he'd stay away if Helga agreed to go to the farm with him for a week." Arnold continued worriedly.

"Ohhh… bet that made her cranky!" Phil assumed.

"Actually, she was willing to do it." Arnold said softly.

"What kind of case of cold feet did SHE have?!" Phil exclaimed, as he held his hand to his head.

"I don't know. When he asked if she was getting into the car with him, I woke up before she could give her answer." Arnold replied, unsure of what to think.

"Well shortman. I wouldn't think too much of it. Dreams don't always have deep meanings behind them. Especially not ones involving that kid." Phil insisted, pointing at the troubled boy ahead of them.

Feeling a bit of relief, Arnold replied. "Thanks grandpa."

Phil patted his grandson on the back, just as they were coming up on the boarding house. "Just think. This will be our last night with the little weirdo!" Phil couldn't help but shout.

Walking inside, Arnold saw Helga sitting at the dining room table with Rhonda and Phoebe.

"Hey guys, what's going on?" he asked, sitting down beside Helga, wrapping his arm around her.

"Arnold! We've got the number for the officiant AND the place to get Helga's wedding dress from. Now we're deciding days of the week to book the music, flowers, food, and pictures." Rhonda exclaimed, as Phoebe listened, while Helga sat there tapping her fingers impatiently.

"I could talk to Dino Spumoni tomorrow. Maybe he could play some of his and Don's new music for us?" Arnold offered.

"Perfect! Tuesday, we can talk to Mrs. Vitello about the flowers. I'll spend Monday with the girls looking up pictures for the best ones to have at the wedding!" Rhonda said excitedly as Helga waited for it to be over.

"I suppose that just leaves us with the food and pictures then?" Phoebe pointed out.

"I can talk to Mr. Green about the food he's able to provide on Wednesday, if you girls want to take care of the pictures?" Arnold offered.

Looking at Helga, she replied. "I'll text Olga Thursday about the photographer. Hopefully, she'll still have the guy's number."

Smiling as she stood up with her folder, Rhonda replied, "Well, I think that's all the work that needs to be done for today. See you guys tomorrow!"

"I best be going too. See you tomorrow Helga." Phoebe waved goodbye, following Rhonda out the door.

Arnold walked the girls to the door as Helga continued to sit at the table. Suddenly, Arnie walked in. "Snort. Hey Helga."

"Oh brother, what do you want?" Helga asked.

"I wanted to know if you wanted to come live at the homeless shelter with me?" Arnie asked, as he took a seat next to her. Before she could respond, Arnold walked in.

"Oh hey Arnie, are you all packed?" he asked.

"Snort. Yeah, I was just asking Helga a question." Arnie replied, turning to face Helga's disgusted face.

"What was your question?" Arnold couldn't help but wonder.

"Snort. If she'd come live with me at the homeless shelter." Arnie responded, placing his hand on Helga's shoulder.

"What?!" Arnold exclaimed.

Rolling her eyes, she said. "I'm tired. I'm going to get some shut eye."

Watching her walk away, Arnold turned to Arnie. "Arnie, what are you doing?! I told you we're getting married!"

"Snort. Okay."

Arnold then went upstairs to see Helga changing into her nightgown. As she threw it over her shoulders, she thought to herself _All I want to do is pass out._

Before she could, arms wrapped around her. She heard a voice from behind say to her, "I'm so sorry! He'll be gone tomorrow!"

"Okay, you can let go now! Sheesh Arnoldo!" Helga exclaimed, not knowing what his deal was.

"I had a terrible dream last night Helga!" Arnold explained, as he watched her slip under the covers.

Turning to face him, she asked. "Was it about working for Bob again?"

"Worse. Arnie asked you to spend a week living with him, and I think you were about to say yes!" Arnold finished, as her eyes lit up.

"Arnold, that is ridiculous! There's only one thing I hate more than that guy, and it's spending the day with Princess." she said wittingly.

Hearing this, he said worriedly. "What if that's what my dream was warning me about though? You spending so much time on the wedding is just going to end up pushing you away from me! It's only been a few days, and you're already acting like you want to rip your hair out."

Settling in the bed, she said, "Look, you know I'm not one to toss out my poetry, but in class the other day, we were talking about commitment. When you're committed to something, it's something you're willing to hang onto no matter how difficult times around you become. You're the only thing I've ever felt that way about. Yes, I'm going to be miserable dealing with Princess through all this planning, but I'm not willing to lose you. Now let's just get some sleep football head!"

Hearing these words warmed his heart more than words could express. After he changed his clothes, he crawled into bed next to her, under the covers. Turning out the light, he gently kissed her on the lips. "I love you Helga G. Pataki."

Smiling back at him, not opening her eyes, she whispered, "You know you're taking my last name right?"

Laying his head beside her, he whispered "Whatever you say Helga."


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23: You Can't Be Serious!

The next morning, the two of them awoke to Arnold's alarm and the start of what would be a crazy next few months. "Well, I guess after school I'll see if Gerald wants to come with me to Dino Spumoni's house." Arnold turned to Helga, as the two of them were getting dressed.

"Yeah, and I guess I'll go look at those flowers with Pheebs and Princess after school. Oops, I mean our 'Wedding Coordinator.'" Helga said wittingly as Arnold tried not to laugh.

The two of them walked downstairs together, happy to know it would be their last breakfast with Arnie, until the week of the wedding. That would be one less thing to worry about.

Sitting at the dining room, they saw Arnie shoveling down a plate of pancakes, while he observed the two of them holding hands. Arnold took a seat next to Arnie, while Helga didn't hesitate to sit on the other side of Arnold.

"So Arnie, today's your big day at the H.H.S. How do you feel?" Arnold asked, hoping his cousin would be excited.

"Snort. I'm going to ask when I can start helping with the lint traps in the laundry room." Arnie replied, glancing over at Helga smacking her face.

"That sounds, uh interesting. Maybe you could try making some friends in the game room they showed us." Arnold suggest, as Helga muttered to herself _fat chance!_

"Snort. Okay, I can show them my gumball collection." Arnie replied, finishing up his plate.

After food was brought in for Helga and Arnold, Arnie continued to stare at Helga. It was hard for her to concentrate on her stomach with someone staring at her face the entire time. Someone she hated nonetheless.

"Snort. So Helga. Snort. You never did answer me about living with me for a week." Arnie pointed out, as Arnold dropped his fork. He knew there was no chance of Helga saying yes, especially not after her speech on commitment. Still, the thought made his stomach turn.

"If I did it, would you go jump off a bridge?!" Helga asked irritably, as Arnold's face shot to hers immediately.

"Snort. Probably." Arnie replied.

Looking more troubled than he ever had before, Arnold replied "Arnie, could you give us a moment? If I don't see you before we leave, good luck at the H.H.S."

"Snort. Okay." Arnie said, leaving the room

Turning his face back towards her, Arnold asked. "Helga! What are you doing?!"

"Arnold, what else will make this lunatic leave me alone? I mean crimenty! I couldn't even enjoy my breakfast this morning because of him!" She countered.

"But he's leaving! He won't be ABLE to bother you!" Arnold exclaimed, as Helga crossed her arms.

"Fine. Let's just go." Helga insisted, as the two of them left.

Wrapping his arm around her, his body shook at the thought of her leaving. Not only that, a hole began to form in his heart. _Why would she just agree to leave like that? Did those words she said last night mean NOTHING to her?!_

As these thoughts were going through his mind, they came across their friends at the bus stop. "Hey man, how's it going?" Gerald asked.

"Umm pretty good. Arnie's leaving for the homeless shelter today, so he won't be bothering us anymore." Arnold said, scratching his head.

"I'll believe it when I don't see it." Helga replied.

The bus then pulled up, and the guys took a seat in the back together, while the girls decided to sit up front.

As Arnold took a seat, Gerald noticed him immediately staring at the floor. "What's wrong man? Rhonda still got Helga acting like...Helga?

Arnold began to sit up as he replied. "Yeah, and I'm worried it's about to cause her to do something drastic. She almost agreed to live with Arnie!"

"What?! Helga G. Pataki living with a loser like your cousin? I mean no offense man, but that's not happening!" Gerald exclaimed as his eyes widened, and he lifted an eyebrow.

Looking in his best friend's direction, he replied. "I don't know Gerald. She's loved me her whole life, but she's also hated the type of girly stuff it takes to prepare for a wedding her entire life. It's going to be a lot of planning. Her fantasies about me were enough for her to hang onto all those years without actually BEING with me! There's no telling which way she'll end up going with this."

"Mmm...mmm..mmm! Well man, I suppose all you can do is stand by her and remind her how much she means to you. I know it's not something guys normally do, but try to help out as much as possible." Gerald suggested.

"You're right. I'm actually going to Dino Spumoni's house this afternoon to request him playing the music at our wedding, if you'd like to come with me?" Arnold asked, starting to smile.

"I didn't mean getting the rest of your guy friends involved, but sure, I'll go with you buddy!" Gerald said wittingly.

Rolling his eyes, Arnold began to look forward at the girls.

"So, I take it you didn't enjoy our night with Rhonda? Will you be able to handle the next several months?" Phoebe asked, looking at Helga's annoyed expression.

Helga rubbed her face as she replied. "I don't know Pheebs. You know how much this kind of thing drives my crazy! I just want to marry Arnold, and be done with this girly crap!"

"Well, you said yourself that's what commitment is all about; hanging onto the things you care about most, in the toughest times. This would be a perfect example to prove to yourself how much Arnold really means to you. You've swallowed your pride and shown everyone he means more than your reputation. Now you need to find out if he really is your number one interest in life! The one thing you absolutely could not live without, no matter how tough times are getting!"

Looking down at the floor, listening to her best friend's words, Helga began to imagine life without Arnold. _Had there ever been anyone who had given her a reason to fantasize about happiness the way he did? Was the eternal happiness she would spend with him when this nightmare of planning was all over, worth the trouble?_

The bus then stopped and the girls waited for the guys to meet them at the front. Helga held out her hand for Arnold to help her up, as he smiled at the thought of her wanting to walk with him.

Not saying anything to each other, until they reached the steps of the school, Helga broke the silence. "I'm sorry Arnold."

Not sure of what she meant, he turned to ask "Sorry for what?"

"For not being more excited about this. My dream has always been to marry you! I just never put into thought, how much it took to plan a wedding. I'm not going to change, which means I won't be acting too happy about this the next few months. I promise you'll always be my number one interest, however." she replied as he leaned over to kiss her.

"You really scared me this morning! I didn't know who I wanted to strangle more, Rhonda or Arnie!" Arnold replied as Helga placed a hand on her hip.

"You? Strangle someone? Pttss...Please!" Helga replied as Arnold responded. "No weirder than you agreeing to live with my weird cousin."

She shrugged her shoulders as the two of them continued walking to class. "Well, I guess this is it. See you at lunch." Helga replied, as Arnold kissed her one last time.

Helga walked into her poetry class, trying to ignore the fact that Amanda was in it with her. _With my luck, she'll end up at the engagement party somehow._

"Now class, like I said, this week we're talking about commitment. I want a poem do on Friday about that one thing in life that gets you through the hard times. That one thing you find to be worth hanging onto, when everything else is pulling you down. Life can be much harder for some people than it is for others. Not everyone has it easy. Surely everyone has something that gets them through their troubles however, if not, something to dream about. Oh, what a wonderful topic for next week! What is your biggest dream?!" The teacher said excitedly as Helga began to roll her eyes. While she loved the idea of expressing her feelings for Arnold through these poetic topics, this teacher was beginning to remind her of Mr. Simmons.

Meanwhile, Gerald and Phoebe were about to hear the results of the election in their English class. He reached over his desk to place a hand on hers. "Good luck babe. I'm rooting for you!"

Smiling at him, the teacher said. "Alright class, I have your results! The winner of class president is….Phoebe Hyerdoll!"

Everyone clapped as Phoebe began to blush. The teacher handed her a list of responsibilities she could expect to be in charge of as the year went on. As she read it, Gerald looked over and said to himself _Thank goodness they didn't pick me!_

Eventually, lunch came and the students all headed for the cafeteria. When Arnold made it there, he saw Phoebe reading, Gerald eating, and Helga talking on the phone. She set it down, just as he approached the table.

"Who were you calling?" he wondered.

"I just finished speaking with the officiant, Tish recommended. He said May 31 is fine, as long as the ceremony takes place at three. Which is fine with me, I've never been a morning person." Helga said, hanging her arm over the back of the chair, with her legs crossed.

Arnold smiled at her calm behavior, just as Rhonda approached the table. "Oh there you! Arnold! Did you speak to Dino yet?" she exclaimed, as they all gave her an awkward look.

"Uhh I thought I'd do it AFTER school. Helga did call the officiant though. We are set up to be married May 31 at three." he replied.

"Perfect! That means we can use Friday to purchase you a dress, Helga! This is going to be wonderful!" Rhonda exclaimed, as she walked away.

Gerald watched her walk away, holding his sandwich as he said. "You'd think this was HER wedding, considering the excitement coming from her!"

Seeing Helga concentrate on her food, rather than getting worked up over Rhonda, Arnold turned and asked. "So, are you really okay with this? If you're not, my parents and I can find a way to do this without bothering you?"

Helga looked away from her food to see the pleading look in Arnold's eyes. Placing her hand on his, she replied. "I think 'Old Betsy' can handle 'The Fashion Queen' if things get too out of line."

Arnold leaned in to kiss her as their friends went back to focusing on their work and food. Not taking his lips off hers, he thought about how anxious he already was to have the wedding over and done with, just to not have to worry about losing moments like these.

They held onto each other until the bell rang. When he let go of her lips, her heart sank. All her memories she shared with him immediately flashed through her mind, as she asked herself _How could he NOT be my number one interest?_

They said goodbye to each other as Gerald and Arnold walked to his Calculus class. "So, how did your test go last week?" Gerald asked.

Scratching his head, Arnold replied, "I'm hoping I did okay. At least, I think I did."

"So, we'll be booking the music, while the girls will be choosing the flowers today?" Gerald asked, making conversation.

"Looks that way. Helga apologized to me for her behavior, and warned me I hadn't seen the last of it. I'm still worried though." Arnold admitted as Gerald shook his head.

"Well buddy, she's going to have to deal with Arnie if she wants to be with you. She's also going to have to deal with that girly wedding planning if she wants to MARRY you!" Gerald reminded him, as they made it to Arnold's calculus class.

"You're right. I'll meet you at my place after school. Then we can head over to Dino's house." Arnold said, as the two did their secret handshake.

Arnold entered the class, anxious yet nervous to find out how he did on his test. Unfortunately the teacher wouldn't pass them out until the end of class, so he as usual, had a hard time concentrataing. Once class ended, the tests were handed back, and to Arnold's surprise, he received a B+. _Thank you Helga!_ He thought to himself, as the students left the classroom.

When Arnold made it outside the school, he saw Helga speaking to Rhonda and Phoebe. Not excited about the idea of talking to Rhonda, he still managed to make himself walk over there. "Hey Helga, you want to walk home with me?"

"Actually Arnold, we're on our way to my place to look up wedding flowers. That way we'll be prepared when we walk into Mrs. Vitello's tomorrow." Rhonda informed him.

Looking a bit disappointed, Arnold replied. "Oh okay, well I guess I'll see you tonight Helga."

"See ya football head." Helga replied, as they went their separate ways.

Making it back to the boarding house, Arnold opened the door to see Phil and Pookey dancing on the living room table.

"What's going on?" he asked, wondering what they could be celebrating.

"He's finally gone Arnold! You're weirdo cousin is out of here!" Phil exclaimed as Arnold didn't have the heart to remind him, he'd be back for the wedding.

"Uhh right grandpa. I'll be in my room." Arnold said.

No sooner had he put his bag in his room, he received a text from Gerald saying. "Hey man, I'm outside waiting for you!"

Arnold ran downstairs as he barely shouted passing by his grandparents "I'm going out! Be back later!"

Outside, Gerald was waiting for the two of them to head to Dino's. "So man, what kind of music do you think he'll be playing for us?"

"I honestly don't know. He's gotten pretty popular lately though, so hopefully he'll do a decent job." Arnold replied.

Meanwhile, Helga and Phoebe were looking at what Rhonda believed to be the best choice of flowers for Helga's wedding.

"Now, I have printed out a list of what are the best and worst types of flowers for each season!" Rhonda said proudly.

Handing over the list, Phoebe looked at it impressed, saying to her "Wow Rhonda! Once again, I am impressed by your ability to stay on top of these things."

 _You would be_ Helga thought to herself, as she glanced at the folder.

"Let me see that thing." Helga said, as she did her best not to snatch it irritably.

Summer

Best: Sunflower, Gerbera Daisy

Worst: Hydrangea, Gardenia

Fall

Best: Ranunculus, Snapdragon, Marigold

Worst: Chrysanthemum

Winter

Best: Carnation, Rose, Poinsettia

Worst: Amaryllia

Spring

Best: Peony, Bells of Ireland, Orchid

Worst: Daffodil, Fresia, Tulips

Looking at the list, Helga didn't seem to care, until she was reminded of the hair clip Arnold had gotten her. The pink hair clip she wore when they went shopping together for new clothes. She pointed at the pink carnations and said, "I'll take these."

Rhonda laughed at the choice, responding "Helga, that is a WINTER flower! You are getting married in May."

"Then why'd you bother putting it on the list?" Helga raised part of her eyebrow.

"To show you what to stay away from! May is at the end of spring and start of summer, so I suppose either of those two seasons is acceptable to choose from." Rhonda said, placing a hand on her hip.

Phoebe looked at the disappointment in Helga's eyes and said "I believe this should be Helga's choice. Afterall, it is her wedding, Rhonda."

"Uhh fine! Don't say I didn't warn you however, when you receive awkward stares walking down the aisle." Rhonda warned her, as she turned her nose up at them.

After the girls finished going over the flowers, Arnold and Gerald made it to Dino's house. "Well Arnold, we're here!"

"Yeah, let's hope this goes well." he replied.

A moment after ringing the doorbell, the boys were greeted by Dino. "Hey Arnold! What brings you by?"

"Well, actually, I wanted to ask if you and Don could play some of your new music at my wedding next year?" Arnold asked, rubbing his arm.

Smiling at the younger boys, Dino replied. "Don's not here at the moment, but I'm sure he wouldn't mind. Business has been so great at those hotels and karaoke bars I told you we were performing at!"

Gerald rolled his eyes at the thought as Arnold replied. "Uhh right. Anyways, the date is May 31. Let me know if you can do it, please."

"Will do kid!" Dino said, shutting the door, as the guys turned to look at each other.

"Well, that was easy." Gerald said, as Arnold smiled. "Yeah, hopefully Rhonda is making things just as easy for Helga."

Rolling his eyes, Gerald replied. "I can't believe I care this much, but you have to give her more credit. She's Helga - G - Pataki! The Queen of Fashion isn't going to take down Old Betsy! A pair of heels isn't going to win against a pair of fists!"

Trying not to smile at his wittiness, Arnold replied, "Gerald, you know she's more than the tough act she puts on for everyone! She has real feelings! She's as sensitive as she is rough!"

Shaking his head at his best friend's response, he placed a hand on his shoulder and replied, "Whatever you say, Arnold."

As the two of them made it home, Arnold invited Gerald in. "You wanna come in for awhile?"

Keeping his ground, Gerald asked. "Is Rhonda in there?"

Arnold began to shrug his shoulders as he reached for the door. "Probably."

"See you tomorrow. Bye buddy!" Gerald responded, as he waved goodbye to his friend.

Walking inside, Arnold didn't see anyone in the living room. _I guess my grandparents are finished celebrating._

As he passed the kitchen, he saw his parents. "Hey mom! Hey dad!"

"Hey Arnold! How was school?" Stella asked.

"Not bad. I got a B+ on my math test, thanks to Helga!" he said enthusiastically.

"That's great son! She's upstairs now, going over some wedding details. After dinner, we can go over the budgeting tonight." Miles smiled.

"Sounds great!" Arnold replied, as he raced to his room to see what he was sure would be a group of girls.

Opening the door, he saw Helga sitting alone on the bed with their wedding folder.

"Hey football head, how'd it go with Spumoni?" she asked.

"Umm pretty good. He sounded happy to do it, but he still has to find out if Don will be free on that day." Arnold explained.

"Sounds good to me." Helga replied, as she continued to look at the folder.

"So, did you have a good time looking at flowers?" Arnold hesitated to ask, knowing how stupid the question must have sounded to her.

"Eh, it didn't turn out to be as bad as I expected." she replied, shrugging her shoulders. Setting aside the folder, to look at him.

His eyes lit with hope as he responded, "Really? Did you find any you like."

Forgetting the name of the flower, she picked the folder back up to show him the pink carnation. As he stared at it, he said to her. "I think it could go well with your hair clip."

Rolling her eyes at his uncertainty, she replied "Doi! That's why I chose it, hairboy!"

He looked up at her as she continued to explain, "Princess said it was a winter flower, and I'd look ridiculous walking down the aisle holding these. Pheebs talked her into letting me use them though." Helga said, hiding her enthusiasm.

Loving that she found something to make herself happy, he pulled her close to kiss her. Running his fingers through where her clip would normally be, he whispered, "May can't come soon enough."

Suddenly a noise broke their intertwined lips. "Way to ruin the moment football head!" Helga smirked, as Arnold went up to check his phone.

Reading the text, Arnold said to Helga "It looks like Don agreed to play at the wedding with Dino."

Raising part of her eyebrow, Helga asked. "Since when do those dinosaurs send text messages?"

Scratching the back of his head, Arnold replied. "The text was actually from Gerald. Don called to tell him he's available. Although, I don't know why he wouldn't say something to me?"

Crossing her arms, Helga replied "Well, hairboy was the one he hooked up with when you two had that fight before the talent show...then acted like you were good enough to BE them. Oh brother!"

Blushing at her remark, Arnold replied. "Yeah, it really was a last minute thing. It's funny though, they're fight lead to us winning the show, and us entering the show was what got them back together."

Rolling her eyes at his optimism, she smirked. "Well, I'll tell you football head. It's a crazy world!"

Sitting back beside her, Arnold wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "It must be crazy, if we ended up together." Kissing her on the cheek.

She laid her head on his shoulder, looking down at the notebook, knowing in the end, it would all be worth it. So what if she had to put up with a few girly details. She WAS a girl. One who was lucky enough to have her dream guy care so much about her for who she was inside. This was the least she could do for him...for them!

Rubbing her arm, he looked at her hair flowing down her shoulder and asked. "Do you think you'll wear the hair piece to go with the flowers?"

She sat up to think about his question, then replied. "I could, that is, if you don't want me to wear my bow? I know how much you like that too."

Stopping to think about this, they heard a knock at the door. "Kids, dinner's ready." Stella informed them.

"Uhh...thanks mom!" Arnold replied. Looking back at Helga, as though she was still waiting on a response, he replied "I think you're beautiful either way!"

Smirked, looking back at the folder, saying to him, "Some wedding planner you'd be, football head!"

As he scratched the back of his neck, he helped the two of them up, and said. "Let's go eat! My parents said we could go over the budgeting afterwards!"

Standing up with him, still not removing the smirk from her face, she placed a hand on her hip. Then, couldn't help but respond, "Since when do you get so excited about math?"

His eyes began to widen at the mention of this topic. "That reminds me! I got a B+ on my math test...and it's all thanks to you!" As he pulled her close to kiss her passionately, she thought to herself about everything that made him interesting to her...

 _Arnold my love, my number one interest! The way you're able to find a good use for everything in this wretched world. How you can somehow so easily bring yourself to show nothing but patience to those who lash out at you with violence and other personal issues. The way your good hearted nature always manages to outweigh the evil around you. Your optimism always somehow manages to outweigh your gullibility. Dare I pity you, or simply admire you for that? Oh my beloved, my inspiration! How lost I would be without thee!_

Letting go of her lips, he said with half lidded eyes. "Let's go eat!" as she replied. "You don't have to ask me twice!" Looking back at her as they headed down the stairs, holding her hand, he replied. "I think that was the third time I mentioned it to you?" Glaring at him, she snatched away her hand and scowled. "Shut up football head!" Not being able to help but laugh, he thought to himself _Marriage is going to be fun!_

As they entered the dining room, the family was happy to have their first dinner without Arnie. "Praise be! A meal without that little weirdo, Arnie!" Phil exclaimed, as everyone rolled their eyes. "Dad, there's no need for that." Miles replied. Helga crossed her arms, leaning back in her chair as she pointed to Phil. "I'm right there with him!" A smile formed on Phil's face as he turned to his son and replied, "See! She's right there with me! You're marrying a smart girl shortman!" winking at him. Helga began to blush as Arnold sighed with relief at her remark. No longer did she seem interested in the idea of taking Arnie up of his offer (even if it was just to get away from the wedding planning). Miles replied, "That reminds me, we can go over the budgeting as soon as we clear the table after dinner."

Stella and Pookie then walked in with the food. "Dinner is served! Lady Eleanor gets first pick at the dinner rolls!" Pookey replied, setting them down in front of her. Arnold rolled his eyes, as his mom helped Pookey bring in the rest of the food. As she watched dish after dish of food being brought in spaghetti, salad, rolls, Helga's mouth began to water. "Well, eat up everyone!" Stella said, as they all filled their plates.

After the family had taken their last bites, Arnold and Helga helped his family bring the dishes to the kitchen. "Normally, I'd get started on washing them right away, but we can look at that budgeting now, so you don't fall behind. I know it's important to stay on top of that sort of thing for a wedding!" Stella informed them.

Arnold smiled as he brought Helga back to the dining room. Her stomach was beginning to feel a bit uneasy. "So son, you two plan on having this at the beach? Have you spoken with anyone who will be helping you yet?" Miles asked.

"Actually, we already know who we want our photographer, band, caterer and florist to be!" I spoke with the band today. It's going to be Dino Spumoni, which he said, would be no trouble. Helga is going to talk to Mrs. Vitello about the flowers tomorrow. She's hoping to get pink carnations for the wedding. I haven't spoken with him yet, but I'm sure Mr. Green will be willing to help with most of the catering. Then, later this week, Helga said she'd be willing to ask her sister about the photographer they were planning to have at Olga's wedding." Arnold told them anxiously.

"Sounds like you've really been on top of this. Now, a chair on the beach can cost anywhere from $2 to 8 dollars. Delivery charge can go from $50 to 125 dollars. How many people will be at the wedding?" Miles asked.

"Well, it kind of depends on if Helga's family decides to come or not. Also if Arnie's parents are coming. Is so, then 42, if not, 36 " Arnold said, scratching the back of his head, as Helga sat there holding her stomach.

Stella entered the room to see her looking this way. "Are you okay dear?"

"I think I need to use the bathroom. I'll be back." Helga explained, as Arnold looked at her concerned. Still doing the math, Miles replied, "Well, if we do as much of the work as we can ourselves, this shouldn't cost more than about $2000. Which your mother and I will pay for, IF the two of you continue planning it out yourselves the way you've been doing."

"Sounds great!" Arnold replied, as he was about to check on Helga, until his mother stopped him. "Do you have a wedding planner? That's the first thing you should pick for this type of thing!"

"Actually, our friend Rhonda is doing it. As pushy as she is, it's kind of amazing how much she knows about this type of thing." Arnold admitted as he went to check on Helga. Arnold made it upstairs, to see her coming out of the bathroom looking pale. "Helga! What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I probably just ate too much. I think I'll go lay down." she said, as he walked her back to his room. As he went to grab her nightgown, he saw her stretch across the bed, as if she was prepared to sleep in her daytime clothes. "Helga, I've got your nightgown. I think you'll be more comfortable in this." She barely waved her arm at him, motioning she didn't care what she slept in. As he rolled his eyes at her, he went over to help her up. Having to pull her up, he lifted her pink dress off over her shoulders. Getting ready to ask her, _are you really going to make me do this for you?_ He saw the pale, sweaty look of her skin, and her inability to lift her eyelids. As he took her bra off for her, she fell against him. It was as though she wanted to lay with him, but didn't have the strength. Pushing her back, he pulled her nightgown over her shoulders, and rested her against the pillow. _I hope she feels well enough to go to school tomorrow?_ He thought to himself.

Arnold wasn't quite ready for bed yet, so he went downstairs to take a shower. As Helga laid in bed with a body lacking any energy, her mind was still full of it.

 _My beloved just changed my clothes and tucked me in in my time of need...which he'll be doing for years to come! Oh Arnold my love, my darling! What I wouldn't give for these next few wretched months of planning to be over, and the start of our wonderful lives together to begin!_

As Helga's thoughts slowly began to drift away, Arnold entered the room to see her spread across the bed with her arm hanging off of it, and a leg propped up in the air. _I hope this doesn't happen too many times when she's sick?_ He thought to himself.

Trying to get under the covers, he felt guilty moving her. All of a sudden, he heard a stir. "Uhhh." she moaned. "Helga? Are you awake?" he asked softly. "What's it sound like football head?" she said, barely getting the words out. "Do you think you could scoot over a little?" he asked, as she kept her position. "Hey, I'm the sick patient. I'm the one dying here!" She exclaimed, beginning to catch her breath. Arnold rolled his eyes at her remark, beginning to push her over. Now that he didn't have to worry about waking her. "Good night Helga, I hope you feel better." Not receiving a response from her, he assumed she had already passed out.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24: Is It Just Stress?

The next morning Arnold awoke to see Helga facing him and the color returned to her face. Maybe she had just eaten too much? It was time for them to get ready for school, so he began to shake her. "Helga, it's time to wake up!" Not wanting to get up, she waved her arm at him. "Helga, you've got to get ready!" Eventually, she sat up, and made herself change her clothes.

Looking at her sad face, Arnold asked. "Are you feeling any better?" She turned to face him and replied. "Eh, I don't feel like fainting anymore. My stomach's still a little uneasy though." Although he was relieved to hear things weren't as bad as last night, he wasn't happy to hear she still wasn't back to normal.

They went downstairs to breakfast, where they saw scrambled eggs already in front of them. "Thanks mom!" Arnold replied, as Helga held her stomach. Looking at Helga, Stella asked "Sweetie, are you still feeling sick?"

"Yeah, you look worse than I do after I eat Pookey's raspberry cobbler!" Phil exclaimed.

"I'll be fine. I must have just eaten too much last night. It'll pass." Helga insisted as she watched the rest of the boarders eat their meals. "Well, we should go. Don't want to miss the bus." Arnold said, as he helped Helga out of her seat. "Here, I'll hold your bag for you." he said happily, as she took it back from him. "Thanks, but you don't have to do that. I told you I'm fine!"

"I want to make sure you're okay though." he insisted, grabbing her bag for her. As the two of them headed out the door, Helga brought up the budgeting to take her mind off her stomach. "So, did you and your parents figure out how much this thing's gonna cost us?"

"They said it shouldn't be more than two thousand dollars." Arnold said, not worrying about it.

"Oh criminey! Where are we going to get that kind of money?" she replied, upsettingly.

"Don't worry, they said they would pay for it, as long as we keep up with the planning." he assured her, as she walked, thinking to herself _sounds like they're getting the better end of the deal!_

They then ran into their best friends at the bus stop. "Hey Arnold, how's it going buddy!" Gerald asked. "Not bad, I got a B+ on my math test, all thanks to Helga!" he replied, as they all looked at her. "Helga are you alright?" Phoebe asked concerned, seeing Helga still holding her stomach. "Yeah, you want to sit up front again?" Helga asked, Arnold being a little disappointed.

Just then the bus pulled up, and Arnold handed Helga her bag. As the girls sat down, Phoebe asked. "So, are we still going to look at flowers with Rhonda after school?" Rolling her eyes at the idea, Helga replied. "Crimeny I forgot all about that. Guess there's no turning back now."

"So what do you think made you sick?" Phoebe wondered, as Helga turned to give her an ashamed look. "Uhh do you think you could come with me to buy a pregnancy test tomorrow? I really don't think I could be, but ya know… better safe than sorry, right?"

Phoebe smiled at her best friend, responding. "Right!"

At the back of the bus, Arnold was explaining to Gerald how much the wedding would cost. " .mm. Well, that's not too bad, I suppose?" Gerald replied.

"Yeah I guess not. I wish I knew why Helga wasn't feeling well though?" Arnold said, as he looked up at her, bent over in her seat.

"Maybe she's just stressed out? Like you said, this isn't her thing." Gerald reminded him.

They then made it to school, as Arnold wished he could hold hands with Helga to her classroom. Even if he was able to catch up to her however, he knew she would want to keep her hands glued to her stomach.

As she made it to her poetry class, she took a seat, waiting for the teacher to come in. Her stomach began to ease down a bit. Then the teacher entered. "Class, I believe we were talking about our poems on commitment that are do Friday. Something I believe will help you is asking yourself, what makes this thing interesting to you?"

Helga sat there, completely ignoring her stomach, thinking about how interesting Arnold made her life. The way his positivity was always capable of outweighing her negativity. The way he was capable of overlooking so many things others would be easily irritated by. The way he never assumed the worst of things. Falling into her usual daze when she had an excuse to think of him, she didn't realize class was coming to an end.

Hearing the bell at the end of first period was music to Arnold's ears. Rhonda had once again been pestering him about the next thing which would need to be focused on for the wedding. "Now Arnold, today we will be looking at the flowers at Mrs. Vitello's. Helga has chosen pink carnations, which I find to be all wrong for summer. I suppose it is her wedding, however." Rhonda explained to him, as he sat there, rolling his eyes.

"Uh, right Rhonda." Arnold said, relieved to hear the bell ring.

Eventually, classes ended, and lunch came. Arnold raced for the cafeteria, hoping not to see Rhonda at their table. Helga was sitting with Phoebe and Gerald. Everyone was eating except her. "Hey Arnold! Phoebe was just telling us about her first job as president." Gerald informed him. "I will be putting up a sheet in the classroom allowing people to post any ideas they have for me to help achieve their common interests and goals this year." she replied.

"That's great Phoebe!" Arnold replied until he saw Helga not eating anything. "Helga, you're still not eating?" asked with widened eyes, as he immediately left to walk over to the lunch line. There he saw Amanda standing in line. Arnold gulped, knowing this wouldn't end well. _I must really love Helga, to be doing this._ No sooner had he got in line, Amanda raced to the back to stand beside him. "Why hello Arnold! I'm ever so certain I haven't spoken to you recently!" she said, with half lidded eyes. Trying to step back, he replied. "Umm yeah, the lines moving." As he pointed ahead to her."

"You know, I saw your cousin Arnie, as I walked past the H.H.S. yesterday. It's just ever so sad he's living there." she informed him as he rolled his eyes. "Well, I think he's happy there." Arnold said, as he grabbed a slice of pizza for Helga. Exiting the line as quickly as he could, he raced back to the table. There Helga was with her head in her hands, propped on the table. "You appear to be getting worse Helga?" Phoebe mentioned as Arnold picked up the pizza for her.

"My stomach's better, I just have a headache now." she told them. "Here, eat this. You're headache will go away." he insisted. Not wanting to argue with him, she took a bite of it. Gerald leaned over to whisper to Phoebe, "Is this what they're marriage is going to be like? Him feeding her every day?"

By the time she took the last bite, her headache began to fade, and she was able to sit up straight. Arnold smiled as he pulled her seat closer to him. She laid her head on his shoulder as he began to rub her arm. If it hadn't been for the bell ringing, she would have fallen asleep. She picked up her head, looking at him with her sleepy eyes and replied, "Guess I'll see you this evening."

Widening his eyes at her, he began to reply. "The evevning? Wha...oh right. The flowers." he replied, disappointedly. Now he was the one, the planning was beginning to annoy.

Giving her a quick kiss, the two got up and went their separate ways. "Well Arnold, ready to get this day over with?" Gerald asked, as Arnold looked at him and replied "More than you know!"

"The girls shouldn't take too long with the flowers this afternoon since Helga already knows which kind she wants. Maybe since I won't be seeing her until this evening, that means I can go ahead and talk to Mr. Green about the catering." Arnold explained, as Gerald put a hand on his shoulder. "Sounds like you could become a wedding planner yourself! What do you need Rhonda for?" Arnold rolled his eyes at the comment as the two of them approached his class. "Well, we're here. I'll see you later Gerald." The two said goodbye as they did their secret handshake.

Arnold entered the room, thinking about what they would have next to worry about for the wedding. Even more importantly, how Helga was feeling. Would she be okay hanging around Rhonda all afternoon with the headache she's been having? Thoughts such as these going through his head, he once again ignored what was being brought up in class. Suddenly, the bell rang.

As he made it outside the school, he saw the girls heading in the direction of the flower shop. He wanted so badly to be with Helga, just to make sure she was okay. _As long as she's with Phoebe, everything will be okay,_ he then thought to himself. Making his way back home, passed Green Meats. Mr. Green was outside sweeping, since there weren't any customers at the time.

"Hi Mr. Green!" Arnold said, approaching him. "Hey Arnold! How's it going?" the butcher responded. "Pretty good. Actually, I'm getting married next year!" Arnold added on as Mr. Green nearly dropped him broom. "Married! I better get an invite!" Mr. Green exclaimed, as Arnold began to scratch the back of his head. "Umm actually, I came to ask if you could help out with the catering. I mean, not all of it of course. But some burgers and steaks. Rhonda's our wedding coordinator, so she's got some friends who will be bringing a few things as well."

No sooner had he finished his sentence, Mr. Green exclaimed. "I'd be honored! When is it?!"

"Don't worry, it's not until May 31. So, it's practically another year away. At least, eight months." Arnold said, doing his math. "Hey, that can really sneak up on you when you're planning a wedding!" Mr. Green explained. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Well, I better get going. Thanks Mr. Green!" Arnold waved goodbye.

As Arnold was about to make it to the boarding house, he saw the girls walking into the flower shop. _Should I go in with them, or would Rhonda not want me bothering them?_

Before he knew it, Arnold was walking over to Mrs. Vitello's. It was as though his feet had decided to take charge. Rhonda went straight up to the counter with Phoebe to ask where the pink carnations were, as Helga began to wonder around. _I can't believe anymore would pick spending all day watering a bunch of daisies as a career_ she thought to herself. Then she felt a hand on her shoulder. Turning to see Arnold, she gasped, "Arnold! I mean, what are you doing here? Don't you have homework?!" Smiling at her insecurity, he said, "I just wanted to make sure you were feeling okay."

 _Oh my beloved! So thoughtful, so kind, so caring! You beautiful creature standing here inside this garden house! These flowers don't do you justice!_

Watching her eyes freeze on him, he asked. "Helga? Helga are you okay?!"

Snapping out of it, she replied. "Huh? I mean, I'm fine. Sheesh, quit worrying about me!" Just then, Rhonda walked over. "Well, Mrs. Vitello said the flowers shouldn't be a problem. They're a bit pricey, but along with my planning, I am also capable of superb negotiating skills!"

Helga crossed her arms and muttered to herself "What do you want, a metal?"

"Is there anything else we need to do to prepare this evening Rhonda?" Phoebe asked.

Arnold then butted in to say, "Actually, I passed by Green Meats on the way home, and asked Mr. Green if he would be able to help out. He said it shouldn't be a problem."

"Wonderful Arnold! We're keeping ahead of schedule! Tomorrow is Wednesday. That means, the rest of the week, we can use to speak with a photographer, purchase a wedding dress, and reserve the hotel rooms." Rhonda replied.

"We can do it! We just need to stay organized." Phoebe replied, as the four of them left the shop. "Well, I suppose this is where we go our separate way. See you tomorrow guys." Arnold said, as he walked Helga home.

Seeing she was able to hold her head up, he asked, "So, are you feeling better?" Helga looked over at him and replied. "Eh, I'm getting there."

They opened the door as the swarm of animals passed by them. Arnold felt bad having to make Helga deal with that, every time they opened the door. "So, are we going to have twenty pets when we move out, football head?" she asked. Laughing at her remark, a thought suddenly entered both their minds, _where were they going to live after they were married?_

As they made it to his room, they sat down on his bed together. Setting aside the wedding folder, Helga asked, "Hey Arnold?" she said, hesitantly."

"Yes, Helga?" he replied.

"Have you given any thought to where you want to live when we graduate?" Helga asked. Arnold paused for a moment at the question, until he responded. "I figured if we're still planning on going to Hillwood, we could live in the dorms together. If not, we can live here until I get a job and earn enough money to find us an apartment. I know college won't be cheap, but if you're still majoring in journalism, you should have no problem getting that scholarship. I don't exactly have the richest family in the world, so I'm sure I would qualify for financial aid."

She smiled at his response until finally she replied, "Sounds good to me football head. Have you chosen your major yet?"

"Well, I've thought about how everyone tells me how good I am at helping people. You know, always giving them advice. I thought, maybe I should major in psychology." he said, rubbing his arm.

"You should talk to Dr. Bliss. You know, see if she knows of anything you could start out with. Even if it is something simple, it would get you started in the area." Helga suggested.

Pressing his lips against hers, she felt her body begin to tremble. Soon she would be married to the boy who for so many years had seen passed her rough exterior, was filled with admirable qualities, and found new ways every day to peak her interests.

Holding his head against hers, be slowly removed his lips. Whispering to her, "Where would you like to live?"

She began to lift her head up a moment. All her fantasies had really just included being married to Arnold in romantic atmospheres. Never a home in a specific city. "Umm wherever we can afford I guess." she replied.

Thinking to himself for a moment, he replied "Well, that may mean living here for awhile. It won't be forever though." he assured her.

She kissed him again, finally removing her lips to say "It's better than my place."

Leaning in for another, a knock came to the door. "Kids, dinner's ready! It's raspberry cobbler though, so I wouldn't rush." Phil insisted.

Rolling his eyes, Arnold asked. "Is your stomach doing better?"

"Yeah, I think I'll be okay." she replied, as the two of them got up.

Going downstairs, Stella saw Helga not holding her stomach. "Sweetie, you look so much better!" Phil then butted in to say, "Well I'm not! I'll be on the toilet!"

Everyone ate, until at last, Arnold and Helga took the last bites of their food. Before he was able to take her back upstairs, Miles asked. "So, how was the flower shopping?" Helga looked over at him to say, "Not bad. We got the pink carnations we had hoped for. Also, Arnold got Mr. Green to agree to cater for us, so things are looking to be on schedule."

Miles and Stella looked at each other happily, as Stella replied, "That's wonderful!" Looking over at them, while standing up from his chair, Arnold replied. "Yeah, it's great." He then took Helga back upstairs to his room, anxiously.

As they made it there, Helga replied. "Sheesh football head! What's your rush?" Arnold gave her a sad expression as he replied "Before we were interrupted, I thought about your question. 'Where are we going to live?'"

Helga gave a worried look as he continued.

"It made me think about college, and what dreams I may be holding you back from. I'm worried I may be rushing you into something. I never stopped to think about money. I was just concerned when we thought you were pregnant, and didn't want the baby to be born out of wedlock. 'The where are we going to live thing' though is a whole new concern if we're married?!"

"What are you saying Arnold?" Helga asked.

"I'm saying, I'm worried if we get married now, you'll end up leaving me if we don't have a place to live when college starts. I don't want you to leave me! I don't want you to be unhappy either though!" Arnold said, holding his head in his hands as he sat down on the bed.

Helga stood there thinking about the point he had made. He was right, getting married with no money, before college started would be a bit of a challenge. Look what they were doing now however. They're living together while going to school?

Helga sat beside him with her arm around him. "It's okay Arnold. I could never find anyone I wanted to marry more than you. The first year of marriage will be hard, like you said, we don't have jobs or our own place. It won't stay like that forever though. If we commit to each other, anything is worth doing. If you really want to hold onto something, you have to be willing to put up with all the crap life throws at you. You're the one thing I'd ever be willing to do that for!"

Looking into her eyes, all his troubles seem to disappear. No one and nothing else in the world mattered at that moment. He pulled her close to kiss her, wrapping his tongue around hers. Rubbing himself against her, he reached to take off her pants. As his hands slid down there, she grabbed them, unable to open her mouth. When he noticed her hesitating, he removed his lips to ask. "What is it?"

Her eyes began to widen as she tried to find her words. "Can we wait until tomorrow to do this?"

Giving her a concerned look, he replied. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, I'm just tired. I'd rather do this when I'm full of energy, you know?" she replied, hoping that was a good enough excuse for him. He then kissed her softly as he laid his head down on her chest. The two fell asleep together, not realizing how tired they actually were.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25: Don't Forget About Me

The next morning they awoke late, to see they slept straight through the night. "Helga! Helga! We're late for school!" She shot her head up, as the two raced to get ready for class. They dashed downstairs; not enough time to eat breakfast. "I'm taking the car grandpa!" Arnold shouted, not waiting for a response.

The two of them hopped in, as Helga thought to herself _What could have made me that exhausted yesterday?_ As Arnold parked, Helga raced for her classroom, not thinking about saying goodbye to Arnold. She made it just as the door was closing. By the time she got to her seat, her heart was pounding.

"Oh Helga! You look just ever so frightened! Is anything wrong?" Amanda asked, walking up to her.

"Yeah, there's something wrong! You're standing next to me, breathing the same air! Now move it along sister!" Helga scowled as the teacher walked in.

"Good morning class! I trust you've gotten a start on your commitment poems already!"

Helga then sat there realizing she hadn't started her's yet. She spent the night discussing what life with Arnold would be like AFTER the wedding. The rest of the class was spent worrying about how she was going to do her poem and whatever girly thing Rhonda had planned for the afternoon.

When lunch finally rolled around, Arnold came to find his friends sitting at their usual table. Once again, Helga wasn't eating. Rather, she was writing something. "Hey Helga, what are you working on? Arnold asked, as she continued to stare at her paper. "My commitment poem that due on Friday. We're supposed to make it about our number one interest in life."

Both Phoebe and Gerald looked at each other, already knowing what she would be making it about. "Sounds 'interesting'." Arnold replied wittingly, as Helga glared at his witty remark. "Ha ha football head. Save the sarcasm for me would you?"

Just then, Rhonda walked over. "Hello everyone. Helga, I was thinking today you could speak to the photographer!" Helga looked over, with her head in her hand. "I thought we agreed I would do that Thursday AKA tomorrow." she smirked.

"As your wedding coordinator, I insist we stay on top of things!" Rhonda replied, leaving the table. Arnold placed his hand on Helga's shoulder as he heard her take a deep sigh. "Are you going to be okay?"

"I don't know football head! She's driving me crazy! I just want to be married and have this planning over with!" she scowled.

"Tell me about it." Gerald said, holding his sandwich.

"What exactly have you done to help us out Geraldo? I don't see you picking flowers, designing invites, or calculating costs of all the crap we're going to need?!" Helga scowled as she left the table.

Just as Arnold was about to follow her, he heard "Arnold wait!" He turned to see Phoebe raising her hand at him. "What is it Phoebe?" he replied. "I shouldn't say anything, but perhaps it's best to let her relinquish her anger. At least until tomorrow."

Shrugging his shoulders at the idea, Arnold sat back down. He crossed his arms, setting them on the table, staring at it for the rest of the lunch period. When it ended, he walked with Gerald to class.

"Well Arnold, enjoy marriage with her. You'll be getting plenty of moments like those." Gerald warned him.

"Gerald, she's obviously upset about something." Arnold pointed out.

"She's ALWAYS upset Arnold!" Gerald responded.

Not feeling like arguing, they stayed silent the rest of the way to class. Arnold went in, doodling in his notebook. What could have her this upset? Why didn't she want to be intimate with him last night? Why did Phoebe say it was best to wait until tomorrow to confront her?

Once the bell rang and school ended, Arnold left the building to see Helga walking with Phoebe. Rhonda approached them before they could leave campus to say, "Don't forget about the photographer Helga!"

Rolling her eyes, Helga replied, "Yeah, yeah, I'll call Olga now! Sheesh!"

Rhonda went her separate way, as Helga made the call.

"Hello"

"Hey Olga"

"Baby Sister!"

"Oh brother! Listen, you still got the name and number of that photographer you used when you almost got married?"

"You mean when Chad and I… (tears beginning to form)"

"Yes Olga, Sheesh! Now you got the guy's number or what?"

"(Sniff) Yes, His name is Fred, from 'Fred's Photo's'"

"Imagine that."

"His number is on the website."

"Alright. Thanks See ya!"

"Sheesh!" Helga said to Phoebe, holding her head, as she closed her phone. "Well, now that we've got that 'Oh so important' info taken care of, we can head to the store and get my ummm"

"You're pregnancy test." Phoebe finished, as Helga covered her mouth.

"Shhhh….not in public!" Helga whispered, as they entered the store. Looking around, Helga said to her best friend, "Oh man, I really hope none of our friends are in here." Smiling at her, Phoebe said "Don't worry Helga, no one will see us."

The two went to look at the tests as Helga said, "Oh crimimy! They've got like twenty different kinds of ways to pee on a stick! How am I supposed to know which one is the most accurate?!" They grabbed what they assumed would be the most accurate, and headed for the register.

"Ten bucks for a plus/minus stick?! This thing better work!" Helga scowled as she took it to the restroom. Barely able to hold it straight, she closed her eyes thinking about what she and Arnold had talked about. What was going to happen 'after' they got married. They had barely thought about college. What would having a kid do?

After taking the test, Helga waited two minutes before looking at it. She had never been so nervous in her life. Her heart felt as though it was about to beat right out of her chest. While at the same time, she felt dizzy enough to hit the floor. Phoebe then came in to check on Helga, and asked. "So, what does it say Helga?"

Lowering her head to the ground, Helga replied. "I couldn't look at it Pheebs. You tell me."

Phoebe looked at the results, as Helga heard with her closed eyes. "It's negative." The knot in Helga's stomach was at last released and the stress she had felt the passed few days didn't seem as bad.

"Phew! Let's go home Pheebs! Helga insisted as her best friend said, "Coming!"

Walking down the road, they saw Arnold on his way to the boarding house. Phoebe saw the look of guilt in Helga's eyes and suggested "Perhaps now is the time to tell him what's been going on." Helga let out a sigh and replied "Yeah, I guess so, see you later Pheebs."

Arnold continued walking with his head toward the ground until he suddenly noticed a shadow beside him. He looked over gasping, when he saw Helga. "Helga! Are you okay? You left school before I could talk to you?"

Rolling her eyes at his nervousness, she replied. "Sheesh football head, it's not like you'd never see me again. I mean crimmeny! We LIVE together!"

Smiling at her remark, he took her hand and said, "Yeah, I guess you're right."

The two of them walked down the street holding hands together until they made it to the boarding house. Arnold put his hand on the knob as he asked, "Ready?" Looking at Helga crossing her arms, asking "Do I have a choice?"

Arnold smiled as he opened the door to the swarm of animals. The two of them then walked passed to see Stella and Pookey cooking dinner in the kitchen. "Hey you two! How was school?" Stella asked.

"Oh you know, same old same old." Helga replied as Arnold scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, nothing exciting happened." he replied. The two then went upstairs to his room, where he saw Helga head for the computer. "What are you looking up?" Arnold asked curiously.

"I talked to Olga and apparently the name of the photographer she used at her wedding, Fred, has his own site I can get his number off of. Although I suppose if the guy's got a website, I could just request everything with him through here." Helga said.

"Sounds great!" Arnold said, as he began going through his backpack.

"Oh brother! Look at these pictures the guy is bragging about having done in the past on here!" Helga pointed as Arnold walked over to the computer. There were pictures in Vegas, the mountains, the ranch. "Hmm...I don't see any on the beach. That means we could be the first ones!" Arnold said happily, as he leaned over to kiss her. Her heart began to melt, thinking once again about his optimism.

A few moments later she said. "Well, I've requested the guy for May 31. Told him the time and location. Just have to wait to hear back from him."

Arnold smiled as he motioned for her to sit beside him on the bed. She walked over to take her seat, along with grabbing her bag. He watched her pull out her notebook as he said to her, "Are you doing more planning already?"

"Actually, I have to work on my poem. It's due Friday, and I haven't even started!" Kissing her once again, he said, "I'm sure you'll get it done easily." Her heart once again fluttered at his words. There he went again, always encouraging people in their time of need. "I think I know what you're topic is. I'll go downstairs to give you some privacy." he said, winking at her.

 _Commitment_

 _What is it about you I must have close to my heart?_

 _The way you see good use for things no one would care to consider._

 _How your patience remains the same with those cold and bitter._

 _Your bright sided thinking has never been a quitter._

 _The thought of you not with me makes my heart fall apart._

After finishing her poem, Helga went downstairs to see Arnold talking to Phil in the living room. "Hey shortman's girlfriend!" Phil waved happily. "Shorman here was just telling me about the poem you're working on." Phil winked at her as she began to blush. "Grandpa! Arnold exclaimed, thinking to himself _by now I should know what not to tell him about._

Suddenly, they heard. "Dinner's ready!" The three of them went into the dining room where they saw meatloaf and mashed potatos being placed on the table. "Eat up kids! Before the rest of the boarders dig in!" Miles warned them.

As the kids filled their plates, Stella asked. "So, how's the wedding planning coming?" Looking over at Helga, Arnold replied. "Helga spoke with her sister about the photographer. Apparently he has his own website, we were able to request reserving a date for online."

"That sounds great!" Miles replied, as he looked over to see Helga still filling her plate. "Yeah, tomorrow Rhonda's going to have us reserving hotel rooms for any out of town guests. I suppose that means your unique cousin." Helga replied, looking over at Arnold.

Putting a hand on her shoulder, he replied. "And your family! Technically, we will all be from out of town. We'll need to reserve quite a few rooms!" Arnold replied, as he stopped to think about it.

Shaking her head at the idea, she hesitated to lift her fork. "Oh crimmeny! How much of a hastle will this be?!"

"Don't worry sweetie! Reserving rooms this far ahead of schedule makes things easy for all the guests." Stella assured her from across the table, as Helga gave a weak smile. While the family was finishing up dinner, Pookey walked in with a chocolate cake. "We are celebrating the marriage of Eleanor and Kimba!" she exclaimed, setting the cake in the center of the table.

Phil rolled his eyes at the gesture as he shouted. "Pookey, the wedding's not for eight months!"

Helga took no note of that, as she began to dive right in. Arnold watched her enjoying it, as he whispered to her, "Will you be able to keep the real wedding cake off your dress?" Managing to take her eyes off the plate, she glared at him. Sending off a look that implied _Who are you to challenge me?_

As they finished their dessert, the kids went upstairs. Helga held her stomach, this time with a satisfied look on her face. Arnold walked her to his bed, as he watched her lay down. Laying her legs hanging off the side, with her arms spread out across it. Not noticing she left her poem out, he picked it up without asking. Reading the meaningful, heartfelt words she had written about her reasons to commit to him, made him all the more sure about this marriage. Yes, college would complicate things. If they truely loved each other, and for this long, they were capable of making anything happen.

Not hearing him set it down once he finished, she continued to lay there with her eyes closed. Suddenly, she felt him gently press his lips against hers. As he was about to stand back up, she wrapped her arms around his head, pulling him down on top of her. Her hands then went up his sweater, as she began to rub his back with her smooth hands. Releasing his lips, he whispered in her ear "The thought of you not with me makes my heart fall apart."

Opening her eyes, she knew he had read it. Seeing his half lidded gaze along with the new information, she began to blush intensely. Running his fingers through her hair, he asked. "Will you write my wedding vows for me? You're much better at the writing thing."

She rolled her eyes as at his sad request, as she replied. "So, I have to do your work, along with planning the wedding? Sheesh football head! How lazy are you?" She exclaimed, trying to move from underneath him. "How about I just use one of your poems, and replace it with your name?" he said jokingly as she rolled her eyes at him. "Whatever you say, Arnoldo."

Looking at her nervously, he replied. "Don't forget to reserve a room for your family. I mean, I know you know Olga's coming, but don't forget to reserve a room for her." Helga stared at him annoyingly, knowing he was just trying to help. "Fine football head. Now will you please forget about them!"

"They're you're family, Helga!" Arnold insisted, as her eyes began to water. She began to remove her hands from his shirt to wipe her eyes, but wasn't quick enough. Slowly, she felt him wipe her face as a tear or two reached her cheek. Kissing her lips softly, he whispered "I couldn't forget them anymore than I could forget you."

Helga pulled him close to hug him as she fought to hold back her tears. "I'm so sorry Arnold. Please don't ever leave me!"

Smiling at her as he ran his fingers through her golden hair, he replied. "You don't ever have to worry about that. Let's get some sleep."


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26: You Taste Good Tonight

The two of them awoke the next morning, happy the end of the week was approaching. Although Helga wasn't exactly looking forward to spending the afternoon reserving hotel rooms and registering with Rhonda, the engagement party was approaching them.

"Hey Helga, it's time to get up!" Arnold shook her, as she turned to face him. The two sat up together, ready to get the day going. Helga as usual, was ready first. Not being the type of girl to worry about make-up, jewelry, or styling her hair. "See ya at breakfast football head!" she exclaimed.

Making it downstairs, Helga saw Pookey had placed pancakes and sausage on the table for the family, and the rest of the boarders. "Here you are Eleanor! You'll need your strength for your work running the country today!" Pookey said, as Phil rolled his eyes, reading the newspaper.

Helga was too happy to eat the food placed in front of her, to care about Pookey's assumption of her. Arnold then came downstairs to ask, "How's everyone doing this morning?" His parents then looked up from their plates to respond. "We're doing great son. What's going on at school today?" Helga continued eating, as Arnold shrugged his shoulders. "Nothing really. None of our teachers have announced anything big yet."

When the two of them finished their food, they headed for the door. Holding her hand, he looked down at the ring and asked "So, are you guys just going to Rhonda's to make the reservations?"

Helga shrugged her shoulders at the thought and replied. "I guess. I normally just let Princess do the talking and follow. Even when I 'try' giving my opinion, it doesn't seem to matter."

Scratching the back of his head, Arnold replied "Yeah, she can be pretty demanding." Helga raised part of her eyebrow at him, as she wittingly responded. "Ya think?!"

Shaking his head at her, the two made it to the bus stop with their best friends awaiting them. "Hey Arnold, how's it going?" Gerald asked, as he awaited a response.

"Not bad. Helga and I were just discussing the work she, Phoebe, and Rhonda will be doing after school today for the wedding." Arnold replied.

Phoebe smiled at Helga, happy for her friend and her lifelong dream being fulfilled. She was finally able to swallow her pride and admit, not only to herself, but the world what an important part of her life he is to her.

The bus then pulled up, and the four of them took a seat together in the back of the bus. Arnold and Helga held hands all the way to the back, thinking about their wonderful life to come. The moment was then interrupted when Helga felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around to see Rhonda standing there with a folder of plans for that afternoon. "Good morning Helga! I'm sure you remember our plans to make reservations for the wedding guests after school.!" Rhonda reminded her, as Helga sat. She rolled her eyes, replying "Yeah, it may have entered my mind once or twice."

Seeing Rhonda walk away, Gerald shook his head. " .mmm! Can you imagine working in the wedding industry with that girl?"

"She does possess quite a bit of knowledge pertaining to this subject, that actually happens to be quite useful." Phoebe pointed out, as Helga rubbed her head.

Arnold saw they hadn't even made it to school, and already the frustration was building up inside of Helga. He wrapped his arm around her, and leaned for her to rest her head on his shoulder. It was comforting for both of them. For him, to know she was no longer ashamed to reveal their relationship in public. For her, to know she had someone to take care of her in her time of need.

Nearly falling asleep against him, she was awoken by "Everybody off!" Helga began to lift her head, and Arnold regrettably had to take his arm back. The four of them got off the bus, and despite the drowsy look in Helga's eyes, she managed to hold Arnold's hand, all the way to class. Making it there, he kissed her goodbye before letting her go inside. "I'll see you at lunch!"

It was as it feeling his lips touch her was all she needed to wake up. She then went inside to her desk, waiting the teacher to make an entrance. Normally, Helga's mind would be either on Arnold or the next assignment. At that moment, all she could think about was how important it was to Arnold that her family received an invitation to the wedding. While her mind pondered this, the teacher walked in.

"Good morning class. Tomorrow your poems on commitment are due. Keep in mind they are based on your main interests in life. What has kept your attention so long, you believe even the toughest times couldn't turn you away from it."

Already having written her poem, and knowing Arnold was her main interest in life, Helga didn't mind letting her mind wonder.

Soon the bell rang, and eventually it was time for lunch. Arnold met Gerald in the hall, ready to walk to the cafeteria.

"Hey man! Ready for lunch?" Gerald asked, as he approached Arnold. Arnold sighed, as he replied, "Yeah, I just hope Rhonda hasn't been bothering Helga. She'll have plenty of time for that AFTER school."

"Speaking of after school, do you want to hang out? You know, since the girls will be busy?" Gerald asked.

Arnold thought for a moment about everything Helga was having to put the wedding together. Feeling a bit guilty for not having found a way to contribute, he replied "Uhh sure. Maybe we can think of something to do for the wedding?"

Gerald raised an eyebrow as he replied. "The wedding? Man, that's for the girls to take care of!"

"I just feel guilty dumping it all on Helga. I want to help out." Arnold said sadly, as Gerald rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say Arnold."

The two of them entered the cafeteria to see the girls sitting at their table. When Arnold saw Helga writing, he assumed she maybe making some adjustments to her poem. Making it to the table, he sat down beside her and asked. "You're not changing your poem are you? I thought it was perfect!"

Looking up at his pleeding eyes, she replied. "No Arnoldo, I'm going over the list of people we need to reserve rooms for. According to Princess, It's supposed to be the same list of people who are invited to the engagement party. You want my family coming, and we don't know who Arnie may bring however. I've got to make sure to have this straight."

Seeing her chew on the tip of her pencil, he heard a rumble in her stomach. "Helga, have you eaten anything?" he asked, full of concern. She turned her head to snap, "Do this pencil and paper look like a soda and sandwich to you?!" Widening his eyes at her remark, he wrapped an arm around her and replied "I think you've been feeling sick lately, because you're stressed. Your appetite comes and goes, along with your sleeping habits. We both know this isn't something you enjoy doing, so it's likely to stress you a bit."

Pushing it aside, she laid her head in her hands, with her elbows on the table, and rubbed her eyes. Just when she felt like falling out of her seat, Phoebe set a hand on her best friend's shoulder. "Don't worry Helga. I'll be there to help you. I know Rhonda can be a bit demanding, but we'll get through this together!" Turning to look at her best friend, Helga set her hands down and sent a weak smile Phoebe's way.

Soon the bell rang, and it was time to go their separate ways. Helping his stressed fiance out of her seat, Arnold kissed her goodbye and said "I'll see you tonight. Try to have fun with this."

As she was about to roll her eyes, she witnessed the pleading look in his. _My happiness means a lot to him. I suppose I could try harder._

"Okay football head, I'll do my best." she said, slowly letting go of his hands. She waved goodbye as the two headed in separate directions.

"Well Arnold, let's get this day over with!" Gerald insisted as Arnold turned to him smiling. "Sounds good."

"So, have you decided the positions for everyone at the wedding? AKA Chosen the wedding party...don't ask me why I know that." Gerald said, placing his hand on his best friend's back.

Looking at the ground, Arnold replied. "We Thought about it, but nothing's been course you would be my best man."

"Of course!" Gerald said, with widening eyes.

Arnold raised his head and replied. "Maybe that's something we can do this afternoon! Get the wedding party list together?" Arnold replied as Gerald thought to himself _Me and my big mouth_

"Well, here's my class. See you after school Gerald!" Arnold said, doing their secret handshake.

"Okay, see you buddy!" Gerald said.

As Arnold sat in class, he thought about who would be in the wedding...

 _Obviously Gerald would be his best man and Phoebe would be Helga's maid of honor. Rhonda would go balistic if she wasn't included in it. It probably wouldn't be wise to include someone as 'clumsy' as Eugene in something so formal. Lila would gladly accept if she was asked. Although Stinky was a casual dresser, he enjoyed the opportunity to dress up. Helga had never been close with Sheena. As long as Sid didn't have any major responsibilities, he wouldn't have a reason to be nervous. Aside from Helga, Nadine was the closest tomboy in the class; what position could she have? Harold could dress up if he had to, but would be eyeing the buffet the entire time._

The bell soon rang and Arnold found Gerald waiting for him outside the school doors. "Hey Arnold! Ready to go work on that party list?" Gerald asked wittingly.

"Yeah, I was actually trying to plan it out in Calculus." Arnold admitted to him, rubbing the back of his neck. Gerald shook his head, as he replied. "What a great use of your time."

The two of them began heading for Arnold's house as they saw the girls heading in the opposite direction. Arnold noticed Helga keeping up, as opposed to slowly dragging behind, as though she was being tortured. _Maybe she'll end up enjoying herself_ Arnold thought to himself.

When he and Gerald made it to the boarding house, the boys passed Arnold's parents in the kitchen. "Hey Arnold! Gerald! How was school?" they asked happily. "It was good. Helga is at Rhonda's with Phoebe making the reservations for the wedding. Gerald and I are going upstairs to write down the wedding party plans."

"I thought you already did that?" Stella asked, as Arnold began to blush. "I guess I just kind of planned it in my head. I never actually wrote it down or told any of our friends about it." Gerald shook his head, as the two of them headed upstairs.

As the two of them opened the door, Arnold went to grab a notebook from his desk, while Gerald took a seat on the couch. "Okay, so these are the people we have planned to be at the wedding. That is, IF they can make it to the beach. You, Phoebe, Rhonda, Nadine, Sid, Stinky, Harold, Sheena, Eugene, Lila, all their families, my family, and Helga's family." Arnold explained.

" .mm...well let's get started man! I don't think I have to ask who the best man is?" Gerald smiled, pointing to himself. Arnold smiled, replying, "We have that part, and the maid of honor (Phoebe). Now we need the groomsmen."

"Personally, I wouldn't stick Eugene up there. The guy is a klutz!" Gerald pointed out.

"Yeah, that's kind of what I was thinking. I just thought it would be nice to include him somehow." Arnold sighed, holding the pencil to his lip, as he sat on the floor. "Make him an usher. That way if he trips, it won't be in the center of the ceremony!" Gerald suggested, as Arnold smiled. "That's perfect. I suppose I could make Sid, Stinky and Harold all groomsmen. I think Helga's going to end up having a few bride's maids."

Gerald shook his head as he replied, "I never saw that happening at Helga Pataki's wedding."

Rolling his eyes, Arnold went on. "We've got Phoebe for Helga. Since I've got you and three groomsmen, she'll need three bride's maids."

"Rhonda will need to be one. Unless you want to have to deal with her nagging for the rest of your life!" Gerald pointed out.

"Right. Then I guess Nadine and Lila could be the other two. I'm not sure what to do about Sheena though?" Arnold sat there puzzled, waiting for a suggestion.

"Just have her help out with little tasks, setting up at the wedding. Plus, the bride always needs help getting ready." Gerald pointed out, as Arnold began to sit up straight. "That's perfect! I'll show this list to Helga when she comes home. Then Saturday, we can ask everyone to be a part of it, at the engagement party!"

Meanwhile, Rhonda was passing out the names of hotels for all their wedding guests…

Palm Parade: Best bedrooms, low prices

Beach Blast: Best Bar, great music

Crazy Cancun: Casino, hot guys

Phoebe held the list to review as Helga glanced over it. Her arms swung at her side with a calm facial expression, rather than her usual scowl. They approached Rhonda's place, just as Phoebe finished reviewing the list. The girls took their usual spots in the living room, as Rhonda went straight for the computer. As she watched Rhonda go online to look up the hotels, handed over the list to Helga.

"Alright girls! Now I'm sure it's obvious which one is out." Rhonda replied.

Looking down at the list, Helga pointed to the Crazy Cancun. "Pttss...Yeah this one!" Rhonda turned up her nose at Helga's theory, as she replied. "Helga! The Crazy Cancun has the hottest guys in the city!" Raising part of her eyebrow, Helga replied, "Why would I care about that, when I'm there to get married?" As she placed a hand on her shoulder, Rhonda responded. "Oh Helga, I meant for the rest of us! While you and Arnold are 'celebrating' after the reception, the rest of us can go find our own guys!" Leaning back on the couch, Helga crossed her arms and asked. "Just how are you going to do that if these 'hot guys' are in the casino? You're not twenty one yet Princess!"

Before coming up with a response, she replied. "Well, if you're so smart, you tell me which one you think would be the best choice!" Helga agaIn viewed the list and pointed to what Rhonda had intended on crossing off. "Palm Parade? Are you kidding me?" She replied, as Helga shrugged her shoulders. "Hey, it's got low prices. Like you said, Arnold and I will just be leaving after the reception anyway."

Shaking her head at Helga's counter, Rhonda replied, "Helga, as important as a ceremony is, the reception is ten times more important. Therefore, if you don't want Crazy Cancun, I would highly recommend going with Beach Blast! Drinks and music to celebrate!"

Seeing Helga throw her head into her hands, Phoebe replied. "I do believe this is Helga's wedding Rhonda. We are simply here to give suggestions, not make the decisions for her."

Rhonda rolled her eyes at Phoebe's remark, and replied. "What are the rest of us supposed to do after the ceremony? Just head to our own bedrooms. We're driving out to the beach, so it's not like we can just go straight home when it's over!"

"Fine! You want freakin' Beach Blast with your freakin' Beach drinks? Fine! I don't know HOW we're going to pay for it...but fine!" Helga scowled as she threw her arms in the air.

Phoebe placed a hand on her best friend's shoulder, as she turned to look at Rhonda. "You know Rhonda, perhaps it wouldn't hurt for us, as well as the rest of the group to help with the finances."

Rhonda crossed her arms at the idea, as she replied. "And why should we do that? I mean, here I am planning a wedding, and I'm not even getting paid to do it!"

Helga leaned her head against the side of the couch as she muttered. "No one exactly asked you to."

"Well, if the reception is merely more for the pleasure of the guests as opposed to the bride and groom, I believe it's only fair the guests, help out with the cost. At least you and I. After all, this was your idea." Phoebe pointed out, as Helga gave a weak smile.

"Uh fine! I better find a good guy there though!" Rhonda smirked as Helga muttered to herself "Don't worry, Harold will be there."

As Rhonda began registering for the rooms, Helga sat frowning on the couch. Phoebe looked over at ther friend, and asked. "So, do you have in mind what you would like your wedding dress to look like Helga?"

Before Helga could get a word in, Rhonda raised her arm in the air, as she kept her eyes on the computer. "Don't worry! I'm on top of that as well!"

Helga began to roll her eyes as she again muttered to herself, "Of course you are." Looking at Phoebe with tired eyes, she replied, "I'll figure it out tomorrow. Arnold asked me if I was going to wear the hair clip he bought me, or my pink bow after I told him about the pink carnations."

"Oh what a tough decision!" Phoebe replied, as Rhonda shook her head. "Tell me about it! I still cannot be-lie-ve we went with those flowers!"

After a few moments of silence and thinking to herself _I don't know what made Arnold think I would EVER enjoy anything like this?_ They heard "Well, the reservations have been made! Tomorrow we can shop for the dress, and we'll be done for the week!" Rhonda replied as the girls quickly stood up from the couch.

"Thank you for the help Rhonda. I suppose we'll see you at school tomorrow." Phoebe replied as Helga would not take her eyes off the door. "Of course! I'll bring the folder with the list of best dress locations and go from there!" Rhonda replied as Helga dragged Phoebe out the door.

Stepping outside, Phoebe saw Helga rubbing her eyes with a look of frustration and exhaustion. "I know that wasn't the most fun afternoon for you Helga, but work is getting done. Not to mention, some of your costs will now be taken care of for you." Phoebe pointed out.

Helga began to clench her fists, as she forced herself to take in a few deep breaths. _Doing this for Arnold!_ Opening her eyes, she turned to her best friend, and replied. "You're right. Thanks for helping out! Let's go home."

After walking Phoebe back to her place, Helga headed for the boarding house. On her way there, she heard an annoying yet familiar noise behind her. "Snort." Turning around, she saw Arnie. "Arnie!" she gasped. "Snort. Hey Helga!" Rolling her eyes, she replied. "What are you doing here? I thought your lame self got thrown into the H.H.S." Still making eye contact with her, he replied. "Snort. I'm just taking a walk before game night starts. Snort. When they pull out the puzzles, I like to count the pieces." As she placed a hand on her hips, she replied "Whatever floats your boat I suppose, dingus!"

Turning to walk away, he replied. "Snort. Do you know what would float my boat?"

Never having someone respond to that remark before, she lifted part of her eyebrow at him. He went on to say, "Snort. If you would come and live with me."

Smacking her face at the thought, she replied. "Crimmeny, not this again! Get it through your upside down head! I do not like you! If you weren't part of Arnold's family, I would have knocked whatever hillbilly teeth still remained in your mouth out by now! Now get lost loser, before I make you eat whatever lint is floating around inside your pockets!" Helga scowled as she turned to stomp back to Arnold's house.

Making it there, she took a deep breath before entering the door. All the stress of the wedding planning, then adding the thought of the people who would be there on top of it was giving her a bit of a headache.

As she opened the door, she found it to be rather quiet. No one was in the living room talking, which made her think _They must be cooking in the kitchen._ No one was in the kitchen, which made her wonder _maybe they've already started eating dinner._ No one was in the dining room however, That is, until she turned around to face Arnold. "Sheesh football head! Don't scare me like that!" she demanded.

Smiling at her, holding a box of pizza in his hand, he replied. "Sorry Helga. My parents wanted to show my grandparents the new rainforest exhibit. They haven't made it home yet, so I decided to order us a piece. Helga crossed her arms as she replied, "Well, we know who to save a slice for." Scratching the back of his head, Arnold replied. "Uh yeah. Listen I wanted to help with the wedding planning, so Gerald and I made a list of all the jobs the people we invited would have at the wedding. We can ask them at the engagement party if they'd be willing to do it. That is, if they can make it."

Helga began to smile at the thought of him wanting to help out. The two of them headed upstairs, as he asked hopefully, "So, did you have any fun at Rhonda's?" She shrugged her shoulders as she replied. "I wouldn't call it fun, but thanks to Pheebs, they're going to help out with the cost of the hotel we're reserving. Since Princess just HAD to have her pick."

Looking at her with half liddded eyes, he replied. "Well, that seems fair. What kind of hotel is it?" As she opened the door for them, she explained. "It's called Beach Blast. Rhonda wanted it for the great music and bars it's supposed to have."

"Sounds great!" Arnold replied as his eyes began to widden. Helga's face remained calm as she went on to explain. "Yeah, but first she tried getting us to stay at one called Crazy Cancun."

"What was so bad about it?" Arnold hesitated to ask, raising an eyebrow. Not meaning to scowl at him, as the two sat down on the floor with their pizza, she replied, "Because she only wanted it for the 'hot guys' it supposedly has, which by the way, are in the casino! We're not even old enough for that? What was she expecting to do? Just stand by the door and lure one out with a piece of wedding cake? Sheesh!"

Seeing her point, Arnold handed her a slice of pizza. "Yeah, but you don't have to worry about it anymore. Phoebe convinced her to let you stay somewhere else. Not only that, they're going to help us pay. Which you have to admit is pretty big for Rhonda." Arnold wrapped his arm around her as she opened her mouth with the pizza in it to say, "She's not doing it for us Arnoldo. She's doing it for herself."

As he began to rub her shoulder, she took a sip of her drink, looking down at the floor. Noticing the awkward silence, Helga asked "So, what'd you and Geraldo come up with for those wedding party positions?"

Arnold anxiously stood up to grab the folder from his desk as he replied. "Oh right, let me show you!" Helga sat, munching on her pizza, as she listened to his suggestions. "Well, obviously, Phoebe would be your maid of honor. I thought Rhonda might freak out a little if she didn't have a part in the wedding" Arnold began as Helga interrupted.

"Ya think!"

"So I made her a bridesmaid, along with Nadine and Lila."

"Eh, works for me." she replied, taking another sip of her drink.

Sighing with relief, he moved to the next section. "I made Gerald my best man." he stated, as she once again interrupted.

"Gee, that was a hard one for you two to figure out, I'm sure!"

"Along with Sid, Stinky, and Harold." he finished as she smirked. "Pttss...I'm sure Pink Boy will enjoy dressing up. If so, you know Princess will be eyeing him the entire time!"

Ignoring her remarks, he finished, "Finally, because I didn't want to leave anybody out, I decided Eugene could be an usher. I didn't think it would be wise to have him in the middle of the ceremony."

"Not MY ceremony!" she scowled.

"Sheena could help you and the other girls get ready before everything starts. Gerald said the bride always needs help getting ready. I don't have a sister like he does, so I don't know too much about that type of thing." Arnold said, scratching the back of his head.

"Sounds good. One more thing to cross off this nightmarish list!" Helga replied, as she pushed her food aside, leaning back against the bed.

Arnold smiled as he set the folder down and went to sit beside her. "So, have you thought more about your dress yet? That is, if you and the other girls are still going shopping tomorrow." he asked curiously.

Opening her eyes to look in his direction, she replied. "Yeah, we're still going. I haven't really thought about what I'd like to get though. I suppose it would be pointless for me to anyway." She said, looking down at her folded hands in her lap, spreading her legs out across the floor.

"Why would it be pointless?" he wondered, with a look of confusion on his face.

"Because you know who has a folder with a list of places that are appropriate to shop at." Helga scowled as Arnold looked at her with sad eyes.

Turning her head away from him, she watched her feet move back and forth. Trying to think of a way to fill the silence, she continued. "Guess who I bumped into on the way home? Or should I say, who disturbed me on the way home?"

Arnold gave a puzzled look as he replied, "Uhh Amanda?"

"Pttss I wish! Try your lame-o cousin." she replied, looking in his direction.

Arnold's eyes widened as he responded. "Arnie? What was he doing following you?!"

Shrugging her shoulders at his question, she replied. "Apparently he was killing time before game night. Which I don't know how he could consider it to be that if he's just going to be using the hour to count everything? What an idiot!"

Arnold let out a sigh of relief, hearing the annoyance she felt for him. That is, until he heard her say. "Then the loser once again, asks me to live with him!"

Dropping his jaw, he took her hand. "Wha-what did you say?!"

Raising part of her eyebrow, she gave a look implying _are you kidding me?_ "Arnold? What do you think I said?!"

"Well, I can't be sure anymore Helga! With the way you've been complaining about the wedding, I feel as though you'd be looking for ANY excuse to run away from it, no matter how extreme it was!" Arnold exclaimed with a look of terror in his eyes.

Seeing this look, she turned to face him. "Arnold, like I said. I'm going to be acting this way for the next few months. This just isn't my thing. You know that! It doesn't mean I'm looking for an excuse to leave you however. If I was going to do that, I would make sure it would be for something I knew would make me just as happy as you do. I don't think your idiot cousin qualifies."

Rubbing his hands, she began to smile at him, and his terrified look began to disappear. He laced his fingers with hers as he laid his head against hers. "I'm starting to feel the stress from this situation too… just a different kind." he whispered.

As he leaned in to kissed her, she replied, "Maybe we should brush our teeth first. Along with putting this last slice in the fridge for gramps."

Looking at her with sad eyes, Arnold replied. "You're right, see you in a few minutes."

As Arnold went to brush his teeth, Helga went to put the pizza in the kitchen. There she saw Pookey doing the dishes. "Oh Eleanor! Where's Kimba?" Pookey asked, as Helga was opening the fridge. "He's in the bathroom. I'm heading back upstairs." Helga replied, looking unamused.

"Well, there's still plenty of cake left in the fridge." Pookey replied, as Helga was tempted to take some. "Eh, I'll take a piece." Helga said, turning back around. Wondering why he hadn't seen Helga in the bathroom yet, he made it upstairs to see her already sitting there, and with a piece of cake. "So much for the, 'we should brush our teeth' suggestion." he said, crossing his arms. "Shut up football head! Your grandma offered it to me! I was just being polite!" she scowled.

Seeing she had just about finished the piece, he sat down beside her. "You really should learn to eat slower." Looking up at him, raising part of her eyebrow, she replied. "What's it to ya?" He smiled, saying "Well, for one thing, you've got chocolate all around your lips." he responded.

Setting her plate down to feel for it, he grabbed her hand before she could. "Aren't you going to let me go, so I can brush my teeth?" she asked.

A wide grin formed on his face, as he replied. "Let me take care of that for you." Laying her down on the floor, he placed his lips around her. Circling her lips with his tongue, he removed the chocolate from her face. Laying there, she thought to herself _Maybe I'll eat cake more often._ Every so often, he would remove his lips to see if he had removed it all. Each time, she would ask, "Is it gone now?" Smiling down at her, he replied "No, not yet." Circling his tongue harder, holding her hands back against the floor, her heart began to pound. Finishing, he replied "You tasted good tonight! I'm never sharing my dessert with anyone!" winking at her.

Raising her eyebrow, she suggest, "Should we just have your grandma to bake a few cakes, or would that give Princess too big a heart attack? Either way, I'm happy."

Arnold bent down to kiss her passionately, sucking what maybe left of the chocolate off of her face. As she began to tremble, she slowly removed his lips. Hearing her let out a love sick sigh, he replied, "We can stick with the cake we already chose. Then maybe have my grandma make us a 'special' one for us to share afterwards." he replied, winking once again at her.

As the two of them sat up, she sighed. "I guess I really will go brush my teeth now." Watching her go downstairs, he began to change into his pajamas. Helga's phone then beeped as Arnold got into bed.

Helga walked in the room to change into her nightgown. Watching her change into what was also considered to be her marriage dream nightware, Arnold said to her. "Hey, I just heard your phone beep."

Rolling her eyes at the thought, she replied. "Oh crimmenty, what now?" She walked over to see Rhonda had sent her a list of places they could buy her dress from tomorrow.

"Was that Phoebe?" Arnold guessed.

"No, it was our wedding planner. Apparently, she's already got the names of the places we'll be choosing to shop at tomorrow." Helga scowled as she crawled into bed beside him,

"Wow! She really does stay on top of things." he admitted as Helga got comfortable. "Yeah, I guess" she sighed. "Good night." the two said to each other, as they prepared for the next day.


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27: Do I Get A Say In This?

The next morning the two awoke, Arnold anxious to find out what type of dress Helga would be choosing, and Helga even more anxious to have it over with. "So, you ready for this afternoon?" he asked, already knowing he shouldn't have brought it up. "I guess so. Although it's really more like Rhonda's big day than mine. I'll just be wearing whatever she wants me to." Arnold walked over to Helga, looking at her sad face. He placed a hand on her shoulder as he watched her put on her shoes. "Try not to let anything she says get to you. Just think about how happy you'll be when the day finally arrives. Remember, it's not HER day, it's YOUR'S!"

The two went downstairs, seeing waffles sitting on the table for them. "Hey son, was school yesterday? We never got to talk to you." Miles pointed out.

"It was good. After it was over, Gerald and I discussed our plans for the wedding party, while Helga made the hotel reservations with Rhonda and Phoebe." Arnold explained, as Helga dove into her meal.

"That's wonderful! What hotel are the reservations at?" Stella asked eagerly, as everyone turned to Helga. Not looking up from her plate, Helga responded "Some fancy place called 'Beach Blast.' It's supposed to have great music and drinks."

"It's got my vote! Assuming there's no raspberries in anything!" Phil exclaimed with wide eyes, as Arnold rolled his. Seeing Helga take her last bites, Arnold replied "Well, we better get going. See you guys later!"

Helga grabbed her bag, and the two of them headed out the door. By that point, Helga had learned to enter and exit as if she WAS one of the animals. "So, what heroic wedding detail will you be taking care of while I'm out shopping for my dress after school?" she asked wittingly, taking his hand.

Scratching his head, he replied "Uhh I suppose I could check in with everyone to make sure they're coming to the party tomorrow. To be honest, I'm a little surprised Rhonda hasn't mentioned anything about it?"

Looking at him with a weak smile, Helga replied "Yeah, I think she's just looking at this assignment as one huge checklist. She's already taken a look at the engagement party. She's not going to spend anymore time on it than necessary. Like she said 'we're way behind schedule!' Oh brother!" Helga rolled her eyes at the thought, not realizing how hard she began to squeeze Arnold's hand.

"Umm Helga, I know you're upset, but you're sort of hurting my hand." Arnold replied, as she began to loosen her grip. Blushing at her anger, she replied "Sorry football head, guess I got a little carried away there." Rubbing her hand with his thumb, he smiled at her, replying "Don't mention it."

The two then made it to the bus, as they saw their best friends waiting for them. Phoebe looked at Helga anxiously to ask, "Are you ready to pick out your dress this afternoon Helga?" Shrugging her shoulders, Helga responded. "Eh, it might not be as bad as I think."

Smiling at her friend's response, Phoebe replied "I'm sure the three of us will have quite an enjoyable afternoon."

Waiting for the opportunity to speak, Gerald said "Hey Arnold! What do you have going on this afternoon?" Not expecting his friend to take an interest, Arnold replied "I actually told Helga I would check in with everyone to see who's coming to the party tomorrow. Hopefully, everyone will be there." Gerald gave him an understanding look, as he nodded "Well, I guess you wouldn't want a no show party."

"Especially not if Princess is throwing it!" Helga scowled, turning her head to roll her eyes, as Arnold continued to hold her hand. Trying to put her in a better mood, Arnold asked "So, you get to turn in your poem today, right Helga?" As she turned her head back to look at him, she began to blush. Normally, she could handle the topic in front of him. Not in front of their friends however. "Uhhh, right?"

"What poem might that be Helga?" Phoebe asked, already having an idea of what her inspiration behind it was.

Watching her friends and fiance turn to her for an answer, her eyes widened as she began to stutter. "Uhh it's just some stupid poem about commitment. That's all."

Suddenly the bus pulled up. Phoebe and Gerald headed for the back, which was where Arnold proceeded to follow. Suddenly, he felt Helga pull him down on a seat towards the front.

"Are you okay Helga?" he asked, as he watched her take her hand back, and throw her head into her hands. "I don't know…" she began "I've gotten used to the idea of reading in class, and every now and then, letting you read them. But when it comes to publicly announcing the topic to people we know, my mind freezes. "

"You're worried about being judged. You keep picturing our friends making fun of you for loving me." Arnold pointed out as he patted her back.

"I shouldn't. I mean, we've announced we're getting married. I'm sitting here with a freakin' engagement ring on my finger! We've sent out wedding party invitations for crying out loud! Why am I still so uncomfortable?!" Helga cried out, waving her arms in the air.

"Because you're a sensitive person who fears she can't handle the judgement of her passionate side….But I know she can." Arnold smiled as he wrapped his arm around her. She looked up at him with her dark blue eyes, leaning her head against his shoulder. Placing her hand on his chest, she replied "I love you. Thank you for finding new ways everyday to remind me why." The two could have stayed like that the rest of the day had the bus not reached its destination.

As they left to head to class, Arnold took her hand to lead her there. "So do you think your teacher will make you read the poem?" he asked. Staring at the ground they walked upon, Helga replied, "More than likely. Mine always seems to be the best one, so I guess I have no reason to worry." Stopping in front of her class, Arnold gave her a small kiss on the lips. "I know you don't! See you at lunch."

Watching him walk down the halls until he was no longer in sight, she remembered the feeling she had gotten when she wrote her most recent poem about him.

 _Arnold my love! Could I ever imagine my life without you? Who am I to be ashamed of our love, when it is you who's been mocked and ridiculed throughout the years? Here you've proven full commitment to me! Standing by my side, despite the constant public torture I have put you through. Yet, every day I question my own emotional strength. Is it capable of withstanding the torturous path that must be taken to meet our destiny?_

Helga was brought out of her daze by the class bell. Racing for the door, she bumped right into the teacher. "Oh Helga, it's not like you to be late! Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, I'm okay. I just got a little side-tracked there." she replied, as the teacher smiled. "Well, I'm happy to see you. We'll be reading our poems again. I'm looking forward to hearing yours, as usual!"

As Helga took her seat, she pulled out her poem to review it. _Not nervous about reading to the class, but shivered at the thought of announcing my love to our stupid grade school friends. Oh brother! What is wrong with me?_

Thinking to herself about what she considered to be her 'cowardly' side, she didn't notice the constant calling of her name.

"Helga? Helga? Helga!"

"Huh? Oh sorry. What was that?" she asked, as the teacher replied. "Would you please come up and read your poem for the class?"

Helga sprung forward as though she was simply giving a speech on a regular school topic; nothing special about it. Then as she began to speak, Arnold's face formed vividly in her mind as the words flowed from her lips. Phoebe was right, they did complete each other. Yin and Yang, Peanut Butter and Jelly, you couldn't have one without the other. When you're committed to something, you hold on as tight as you can, because you know you're incomplete without it.

The bell rang just as Helga was finishing up her poem. The class couldn't help but race out, as Helga handed her paper over to the teacher. When she handed over the heartfelt project, her teacher couldn't help but notice her engagement ring. "What a lovely ring! When are you getting married?"

Helga began to blush, as she replied. "Oh, well it won't be until next May. You know, when school won't get in the way."

Smiling back at the student, the teacher replied "He's a very lucky young man! I'm sure he's been the inspiration behind your poems!" The teacher winked, as Helga began to blush harder. "Umm yeah. Well I should get going."

At last it was time for lunch and Helga sat with Phoebe contemplating what had happened that morning. "Hey Pheebs, sorry about this morning."

Giving her friend an unsure look, she replied. "What is it you're sorry for, Helga?"

"You know? For still being uneasy about sharing my feelings every now and then. I guess I just can't help but still picture us all in grade school. Every time I think about revealing my feelings for Arnold in front of a friends, all I can think about is being teased by our idiot classmates." Helga explained as Phoebe listened attentively.

"Well Helga, you've made some substantial improvements, these last few weeks. It's okay to fall back into your old habits every now and then. Just don't give into the idea of letting other people control your life." Phoebe explained, as Arnold approached the table.

"Hey guys, where's Gerald?" he asked. "In the lunch line. They're serving tacos today, and he didn't want to miss out." Phoebe replied as Arnold took a seat beside Helga.

Pulling a sheet of paper out of his backpack to give to Helga, Arnold said "Here Helga, Rhonda gave this to me this morning to give to you."

Raising part of her eyebrow, she took it and asked. "What is it?"

Scratching the back of his head, Arnold replied. "I think she wants you to pick a place to shop for your wedding dress this afternoon. Looks like she made a list of places to shop and why they would be good."

"Oh crimmeny! Just so she can reject my opinion? Sheesh!" Helga exclaimed as she snactched the sheet.

Vera White

Low prices

Great accessories

Danny's Bridal

Amazing shoes

Jewelry

Hillwood Wedding Gowns

Makeup artist

Hair stylist

As Helga looked over the paper, Gerald approached the table. "Hey guys, what's up?"

"Hello Gerald" Phoebe replied "I see you were successful in getting your tacos." Offering her one, he replied. "Yeah babe, I got an extra one for you." Blushing at the offer, she replied "Why thank you Gerald. I would love one."

As the two ate their Mexican food, Arnold watched Helga skim over her wedding gown information. "So, does anything look interesting to you?" he wondered.

"Pttss...Arnold. Does any of this look like what I consider to be interesting?" she scowled, tossing the paper across the table.

Picking up the paper, Phoebe read the information, responding. "Well Helga, these are all typical products the bride needs on her wedding day."

"So you're saying for me to get married, I NEED to wear six inch heels, over priced face color features, and hair as tall as Geraldo's?!" Helga exclaimed, as she crossed her arms, leaning back in her chair.

Placing his arm around her, Arnold replied. "Helga, this is supposed to be fun for you. Like you said this morning, it won't be so bad. Don't let Rhonda turn it into a big deal for you."

Seeing the smile on both his and Phoebe's faces, she let out a sigh, forming a weak smile on her face.

As the bell rang, Phoebe passed the list back to Helga, while Arnold helped her out of her seat. "I'll call everyone about the party! Have fun shopping." Arnold said, kissing her goodbye.

As the boys walked to class, Arnold thought about the list of people he would have to call. "So buddy, should I come over after school, and we can get started on those phone calls.?" Gerald suggested.

"Sounds good. I guess I could have just gone up to everyone in the cafeteria to ask them." he said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Well, what's done is done. Besides, after we get that mess taken care of, Your woman will be on her way home with her wedding dress!" Gerald said, winking at him, as Arnold began to blush.

"Yeah, you're right." Arnold had trouble making eye contact, as the two approached his classroom. "Well, see you after school Gerald." They did their secret handshake, as Arnold went inside Calculus. As Arnold took his seat, he sat their imagining what Helga might look like in her wedding dress. _Would it be strapless? Short? Have a long veil? Most importantly, would she be wearing her bow or hairclip with it?_

When class ended, Arnold went outside to meet Gerald. There he saw Phoebe and Helga waiting for Rhonda. "Hey guys, where's Rhonda?" Arnold asked, as Helga shrugged her shoulders. "I'm afraid Rhonda maybe running a bit behind schedule. It seems she left her planner in her locker, and has to go back to the third floor to retrieve it." Phoebe explained as Helga rolled her eyes.

Seeing Helga's frustration, Arnold asked "Phoebe, do you think I could speak to Helga a moment, while you wait for Rhonda?"

Nodding her head, Phoebe replied "Certainly Arnold." He then took her hand and lead her around the building. As busy as it was after school, no one was standing behind the bushes near the end of the building. Looking into her eyes, he put his hands against her shoulders as he held her against the wall. "I'm worried about you. This is supposed to be fun, but it's obvious you're not having any." She crossed her arms at him, as she turned away. "Well doi! Even if I was obsessed with these girlish accessories, I wouldn't be enjoying the person I'm picking them out with AKA the Queen of Fashion!" Knowing she had a point, he looked away a moment. "Do you want to forget about the wedding? I mean, are we making a mistake?" he hesitated to ask.

Turning back to look in his direction, her eyes melted into his pools of green. _Oh my love, what am I doing to you? What torture has my irrational rage brought to your tender soul? Is the foundation of our love built on nothing more than the perplexity of my insecurities? All you want is happiness for me. Yet you're all I need to make that dream complete. What stressful havoc have my pleasures done to yours however? Your mind is as open as your heart!_

After a moment of considering this, she threw her arms around Arnold, and squeezed him tight. As much of a relief as this was for him, he wasn't having the easiest time breathing.

"Hel..Helga. I can't breath!" he whispered as she let go of him. "I'm so sorry Arnold! I just can't stand all of this girlish drama! I just want to marry you and move on with our lives! I hate seeing how stressed my misery is making you, however. The last thing I want is for you to be unhappy! I don't want to be with you if you're not happy with me. I'm never going to enjoy the type of things Rhonda is making me do to prepare for this. I don't want you to feel like you have to contribute to my negativity. If we can't make that work, then maybe WE can't work." she admitted, as her knees weakened. He was the love of her life. The last thing she wanted was to ruin his life with her negativity however.

Rather than responding, he pressed his lips against hers as hard as he could, forgetting he was pushing her against a brick building. "Ow!" she tried exclaiming, but it didn't do much good with his lips still locked onto hers. He pushed himself against her, rubbing as hard as he could. Just as he was about to slip his arms under her shirt, they heard "OH MY GOSH!"

Looking out of the corner of their eyes, they saw Rhonda, Phoebe, and Gerald. "I hope you two haven't decided to start your honeymoon early...not to mention choosing such a poor location for it!" Rhonda exclaimed, as the other two couldn't help but laugh.

Arnold let Helga go as he replied "Uh yeah… Rhonda can I speak to you?"

"Okay, but you better keep your hands to yourself!" Rhonda replied as Helga scowled "Oh brother!"

Arnold rolled his eyes at the two of them as he took Rhonda to the front of the school. Getting ready to speak to her, she butted in to say, "Look Arnold, you need to make this snappy! We're running far behind schedule!"

"Well that's what I wanted to talk to you about Rhonda." Arnold replied, as he scratched the back of his head.

Placing her hands on her hips, she replied "What are you talking about, Arnold?!"

"Rhonda, this is HELGA'S wedding. She's supposed to be having fun choosing everything she wants to happen, but you're the one making all the decisions for her." Arnold sighed as he looked at the ground.

"Of course I'm making her decisions. I'm her wedding coordinator!" she pointed out as Arnold stood up straight.

"Rhonda, she needs you to help her know which steps to take, not to take them FOR her. You've done a great job letting us know the things we need to stay on top of. She has the right to make any final decisions that occur." Arnold explained.

"Such as?" Rhonda butted in, being too self absorbed to know what she could put aside for Helga.

"The flowers and the hotel for instance. It was her place to choose her favorite one for each of them. You did a great job researching them. She still deserved the final say, however." Arnold explained.

Turning her nose up at him, Rhonda replied. "Fine Arnold! I'll ease up! Something tells me, you'll be regretting this by the time May gets here however!"

"I'm sure we'll survive." he countered as they went back to their friends.

The two returned to see Helga blushing, trying to hide behind Phoebe, as Gerald stood there waiting for Arnold.

"Well, come on girls. Helga, have you decided which store you would like to select your dress from?" Rhonda asked, as Arnold let out a sigh of relief.

Looking at her best friend, she replied "Well, according to Pheebs, I'm going to need all the stuff from your list. Does one of those stores have it all? You know the makeup, jewelry, shoes, accessories? I know it won't be the one with the low prices." Helga commented, sighing.

Rolling her eyes at the idea, she admitted "I may have gone a bit overboard including all those things. I just wanted you to have an idea of what a basic bride looks like. For now, we'll just worry about the dress."

Phoebe smiled at Rhonda's friendly gesture, replying "How very considerate of you Rhonda. Do you know which of those stores has the best dresses?"

"In all honesty, I didn't pick those stores for the dresses. I picked them for the additional accessories. I mean, what's the point of having a nice outfit if you've nothing to add to eat? You wouldn't eat ice cream without chocolate syrup!" Rhonda explained as Helga remained calm.

"So, what store did you have in mind then?" Helga asked.

Putting away the paper, Rhonda replied excitedly, "There's actually a place called 'Bridesville' not far from my house!"

"It sounds lovely! Shall we go Helga?" Phoebe smiled, turning to her friend.

"Eh, what have we got to lose?" she shrugged her shoulders, following Rhonda and Phoebe.

Meanwhile, Arnold had been standing a few feet away, making sure not to leave until it was guaranteed Helga would be leaving satisfied with the other girls.

"Well, come one man! Are we making those calls or what?" Gerald asked, as he watched his friend continue to stare at his fiance.

"Huh? Oh right. Sorry Gerald, I just get so worried about her. She tells me not to, but she's always so miserable. I don't want to see her like that?" Arnold replied as Gerald placed a hand on his best friend's shoulder.

"Relax man! Now that you set Rhonda straight, things should go much more smoothly! I can't say I blame Helga for freaking out about the whole deal. A wedding is stressful enough without bringing someone like Rhonda into the picture!" Gerald pointed out.

"Yeah, maybe you're right. Come on, let's get going." Arnold insisted, as they headed for his house.

As they headed back to his place, Gerald stood at the bottom of the stoop, while Arnold opened the door. Seeing the swarm of animals pass him, Gerald replied "Man, you know Helga MUST love you, if she's willing to put up with this, every time you open the door!"

Rolling his eyes at the remark, Arnold lead Gerald inside. There they saw Pookey cooking chicken and mashed potatos for dinner. "Come on in Kimba! Where's Eleanor?" Gerald raised an eyebrow as Arnold replied "She's shopping for her wedding dress. She should be home later this evening."

The two of them went upstairs as Gerald said, " .mm I have to ask, how have you liked being called Kimba all these years? Should we tell the officiant to call you two Kimba and Eleanor?" Gerald laughed uncontrollably as Arnold sighed "Whatever you say Gerald."

As the two of them entered the bedroom, Arnold grabbed the notepad he had written down the names of the people who had been invited to the wedding on. He sat down on the floor with it as Gerald took a seat on the couch.

"Well, we know you and Phoebe are coming tomorrow. The party is taking place at Rhonda's, so I'd say it's safe to say she'll be there." Arnold pointed out.

"You know she won't miss an opportunity to take credit for something!" Gerald insisted.

"That means we have to call Nadine, Sid, Stinky, Harold, Sheena, Eugene, Lila...and Olga." Arnold replied as he received a serious look from Gerald.

"I don't know man? Are you sure Helga's okay with having her there?" Gerald hesitated.

"Don't worry, she already knows I sent Olga an invitation." Arnold began as Gerald leaned forward on the couch. "How'd she take it?"

"Uhh not well at first. The important thing though, is I got her to change her mind." Arnold pointed out, as he rubbed the back of his neck.

Rolling his eyes at the remark, Gerald replied "Whatever you say Arnold."

"Yeah. Let's get to work. I'll call the girls, if you want to take care of the guys." Arnold suggested, as Gerald happily picked up his cell phone. "Sounds good to me."

Meanwhile, the girls had just made it to Bridesville. "Here we are girls! The best wedding dress shop in town!" Rhonda exclaimed as Phoebe smiled at Helga. While Helga didn't have the biggest smile on her face, she was no longer irritated with hearing any demands coming from Rhonda.

The first thing Rhonda wanted to do was direct Helga to what she would consider to be the best style dress for her. It was no easier for her letting Helga pick for herself, than it was for Helga to let Rhonda make the decisions.

"Do you see anything you like Helga?" Phoebe asked, as she watched her friend wander around. "Eh, I don't know. I'm not like those girls who envision what they'll be wearing on their wedding day twenty years into the future." Helga pointed out.

Finally, Rhonda couldn't help but butt in. "Well, if you're not certain, I would be happy to throw out a few suggestions. Of course you can have final say."

"Lead the way, Princess." Helga replied, shrugging her shoulders. Knowing Rhonda knew more about that type of thing than she did.

"I have a few questions. First, Would you want a strapless dress, or one with sleeves? Second, what type of material are you interested in? Third, are you looking for anything with a design on it?" Rhonda began throwing out questions, forgetting Helga's lack of concern for such things.

"Strapless I guess." Helga replied. "As far as the material thing goes, you'll have to be way more specific."

Rhonda's eyes lit up as she began to list countless materials. "Well, there's silk, lace, velvet, satin, brocade, organza…"

Phoebe could see the look of irritability forming in Helga's eyes. While she wasn't being given orders, she still didn't enjoy the fact that she knew nothing about what they were doing.

"Rhonda, perhaps you could give us a better idea of what the best choice for a gown would be." Phoebe suggested.

Smiling at their need for her suggestion, Rhonda replied "Satin usually is the most popular choice. Especially for a summer wedding. It would also look lovely on her snow white skin."

Helga stood there thinking to herself _Such a creative compliment. Oh Brother!_ "Alright then. We've got the dress type, and the fabric, does it need to have a design?"

Placing her hand on her hip, Rhonda responded "No, it was merely a suggestion." _She is giving me nothing to work with here!_

"Well then, I suppose we should go look at all of the strapless satin gowns." Phoebe suggested, as they headed in that direction.

As the girls walked through the store, they saw gowns that were knee length with v-necks, gowns that seemed to be a mile long with diamond designing all around. Rhonda fell in love with gown after gown while Helga continued to appear unamused. Then suddenly, one caught her eye.

There was an ankle length plain white gown with tiny pink flowers circling the collar. She stood there thinking to herself _Maybe I could wear my hair clip with this, and my ribbon around my waist?_

Her eyes lit up as she showed it to Phoebe. "Oh my Helga! It's wonderful! Go try it on!"

Helga rushed to the dressing room, as Phoebe informed Rhonda Helga had found one she was happy with. When Helga had changed, she stood in front of the mirror with her bow on her head, looking at herself, thinking _Just a few more months, and my dreams will come true! Oh Arnold my love! How could I not commit to you?_

Snapping out of her dreamworld, Helga heard "Well, do we get to see how you look Helga?" Rhonda asked impatiently.

"Alright, give me a minute. Sheesh!" Helga exclaimed, as she made one minor adjustment. When she opened the door to the dressing room, she stood there in her gown with her bow tied around her waist.

The girls looked at each other, until finally Rhonda said "You know, on the hanger, I never would have picked that. Seeing it on you though Helga, you really do pull it off!"

Rolling her eyes with a hand on her hip, Helga replied "Uhh yeah, thanks."

Phoebe sat looking at her best friend. She knew how much this meant to Helga; to be walking down the aisle with Arnold. All those years of planning, scheming to be with him, writing poetry about him...it all finally lead to this.

"So Pheebs, what do you think?" Helga asked, seeing her friend's eyes begin to water.

"I..I think you look beautiful Helga! I couldn't have picked a better dress for you myself!" Phoebe replied, as Helga said. "Thanks, now let me just change out of this thing, and we can go home."

As badly as Rhonda wanted to stick around and buy accessories to go with the dress, she knew Arnold didn't want her to push anything.

After changing, the girls headed home, and Helga walked down the street with a smile on her face. She had found something that made her feel excited about the wedding. Phoebe couldn't help but notice the smile on her friend's face. "I'm happy you found something so perfect for yourself Helga!" she said to her best friend as Helga replied "Thanks Pheebs! I am too."

Once the girls had all gone their separate ways, Helga made it back to the boarding house. She was a bit hesitant to open the door while holding the dress. She managed to keep it safe, despite the parade of animals that scurried past her. As she walked in, Gerald was leaving.

"Hey Helga! You get your dress?" he asked, knowing she must have.

"Oh um yeah. Right here." She showed him, as she began to head inside.

Waving goodbye to her, he replied "Well, see you tomorrow. Don't have too much fun showing Arnold." Gerald insisted, winking at her.

She carefully walked the dress upstairs to see Arnold sitting on his bed, looking at his Calculus notes. When he heard her enter, he immediately tossed them aside to ask "Hi Helga! How'd it go? Did you have fun?"

Rolling her eyes at his anxiety, she replied. "Yeah, it was okay. Rhonda was pretty cool, at least tolerable. I think you'll like the dress."

Walking over to her, he kissed her passionately, so happy she had a good time. After letting her go, he asked. "So, do I get to see it?"

"I'm pretty sure it's bad luck for the groom to see the bride in her gown before the wedding football head." she replied, as he rolled his eyes.

A moment of silence took place until she replied, I do need your opinion on something however. Pulling the dress out, she showed him the pink flowers circling the top. "Do you think I should wear my ribbon around my waist, and my hair clip on top, or not worry about the hair clip and just wear my ribbon on my head?"

Arnold looked back from her to the dress, until finally he asked "Would you put it on for me?" A smile came to her face as she began to blush. He sat down on the bed, while he waited for her to change. After she did, she put on the hair clip, and wrapped the ribbon around her waist.

"So, what do you think?" she asked, as he continued to look at her.

 _She's so beautiful! I can't ever lose her! I have to make sure no one stresses her anymore with anything!_

"Earth to Arnold!" she exclaimed, until finally he replied "Huh, or sorry Helga! I was just thinking about how pretty you look!"

"Uh huh?" she replied, raising part of her eyebrow. "So, you like it like this, then?"

Walking over to her, he pulled her close as he kissed her, imagining they were at the wedding. She began to try to pull away, saying to him, "If we're going to do this, I should change."

Not letting go of her, he replied "I want this moment to last forever! I want it to be eight months in the future!" She looked back into his eyes and replied, "We both do...because school will be over."

Rolling his eyes at her remark, he let her go change out of her dress. As the two got ready for bed, they got under the covers together. Arnold ran his fingers through her hair, while she asked "So, did you get those calls made?" He smiled and replied "Yeah, everyone is coming! Tomorrow we can ask them if they'll accept their parts in the wedding." She kissed him softly on the lips as she replied "Sounds good to me football head! Sweet dreams."


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28: Engagement Party

Helga and Arnold awoke the next morning happy it was Saturday, but nervous it was the day of their engagement party. Arnold rolled over to see Helga was already awake staring up at the clouds through his glass plated ceiling. "Are you excited about the party?" he asked, unsure of what her response would be.

Rolling over to meet his eyes, she pulled the covers close to herself. "Eh, it's not like it's a huge deal. Everyone already knows we're getting married. Basically, today we'll just be finding out who's nice enough to show up."

As he put a hand on her shoulder, he replied "And if know one can make it, we'll have that San Lorenzo wedding we talked about." winking at her.

While sitting up to get out of bed, he leaned over to kiss her a moment. Although stressful situations planning for the wedding made her rethink things, it wouldn't be worth losing moments such as this.

The two of them got out of bed to get dressed. As he watched her put on her favorite jeans, and pink sweater, she began to look back and forth from her bow to her hair clip. He looked over to her wedding dress, remembering how she looked with both and said to her, "You look great with both of them!"

Turning around to smile at him, she replied, "I guess the clip is more formal. I don't want to get too dressed up though. I mean, I'm going to be wearing jeans anyway. Hopefully, princess won't mind."

Seeing her hold the two items in his hand, he pointed to the bow. "Wear this, so they're reminded I'm marrying the girl we all love and grew up with."

Raising part of her eyebrow at him, she put the hair clip down. "Uhh grew up with maybe. Loved? Whatever you say, football head."

When she saw him beginning to help her tie it, she gave an almost insulted look. "I've been doing this since I was three Arnold. You don't have to assist me."

He wrapped his arms around her waist and smiled, "I know I don't HAVE to Helga, I WANT to. I'm going to be doing a lot of things for you when we're married."

Letting out a lovesick sigh, she stared at him, thinking to herself…

 _Oh my beloved! So kind and giving! What has my unbearably cold-hearted nature done to make you feel the need to act in such a loving way toward someone as aloof as me? As I long to open the door to my heart, I simply watch you struggling with the key. How do I show my gratitude for your loving affection to towards me? Having us both only witness my loving nature through cracks of this fence of forceful brutality! Oh Arnold my…_

"Um..Helga! Are you okay? Helga!" he exclaimed, waving a hand in front of her dazed face. Finally noting him, she shook her head fiercely to respond "Hunh? Yeah I'm fine Arnoldo! Can't I ever think to myself for two seconds without you interrupting my thoughts! Sheesh!"

Already knowing what or WHO she must have been thinking about, he headed downstairs, to leave her alone with her thoughts. Taking one last look at herself in the mirror, she held her dress up to herself. _I don't look too bad in this thing. Yesterday wasn't so bad either I guess. Maybe I'll actually have a good time today._

Then, she went to join Arnold downstairs for breakfast. ""Eleanor! So nice of you to join us this morning!" Helga ignored Pookey's remark, as she watched her lay the bacon and eggs in front of her and Arnold.

"So, what do you kids have planned for today?" Stella asked, as Miles and Phil listened.

Arnold looked over at Helga digging into her food. "Well, today is our engagement party. We're going to ask everyone if they'll accept their parts in the wedding!" he replied excitedly, as Helga paid no attention.

"Sounds like fun. Do you think they would all be willing to drive out there?" Miles asked.

Phill butted in to answer "Are you kidding? Anything to get away from this dump!"

Arnold began to roll his eyes, as he replied "I'm sure most of them will. They don't all have their own cars, but they could either ride with their families or each other. Right Helga?"

Feeling a hand on her shoulder, she looked up with wide eyes, as though she had missed something. "Huh? Oh yeah, sure?"

Finishing their food, Arnold took their plates to the kitchen. Helga leaned back in her chair as Phil smiled at her. "You're just like Gertie! She won all our eating contests when we were young adults."

Helga blushed as she lowered in her seat, watching Phil wink at her. Miles nudged Phil in the arm, implying how impolite he was being.

Arnold reentered the dining room to say, "Okay, we better get going Helga! Rhonda will probably want us there to help get things ready before everyone else arrives." Getting up from her seat, Helga quickly grabbed her purse and headed for the door.

"Have fun you two! Let us know how it goes!" Stella called out, as they made it out the door.

As the two made it to the bottom of the stoop, Arnold smiled taking Helga's hand. "So, are you ready for this?" he asked, once again.

Rolling her eyes at his concern, she replied "Yes, Arnold. I'm not five years old. I think I can handle a party...no matter how much they've made fun of me." Helga began to mutter to herself.

He began to rub her hand as he replied "That's just it. There's nothing more important to me than making sure you have a good time. That's why I talked to Rhonda yesterday."

Turning to look at him, she gave a weak smile. As she began to walk towards Rhonda's he pulled her in the direction of the garage. "I asked my grandpa if we could borrow the Packard."

"Guess you're going to have to let go of my hand for a second then football head." she smirked.

Getting into the car, he pulled her over close to him. "I think you made a good choice going with the bow. It's like we're back in grade school." Trying not blush, she responded, "Well if that's true, I guess we don't need to be getting married." Rolling his eyes at her sarcasm, he placed his hand on the back of her head, as he pulled her in closer for a kiss. Moving closer towards her, he put his other hand around her waist. "I almost wish we didn't have to go to the party. " He replied, as she shrugged her shoulders and said. "Hey, you're the driver."

Putting his nose against hers, he whispered "I guess it wouldn't be fair to ditch everyone after all the work Rhonda put into it. Plus, we still have to ask everyone if they'll come to the wedding."

With that, she scooted away from him to put on her seat belt. It was as though he could feel his insides tremble at the thought of having to let go of her. Even if she was just two inches away. Finally, they made it to Rhonda's. Excited to be close to her again, Arnold ran over to the other side of the car to open the door for her. "Sheesh football head, I know how doors work!" she scowled.

"Oh, right. Sorry Helga." he replied, trying not to blush at his anxiety. Rhonda heard them pull up before they made it to the door. As they approached the front steps, she opened it saying, "You're here! Come in! I almost have everything ready!"

Helga rolled her eyes at the thought of her pride, while still trying to enjoy herself. The two of them walked in to see Rhonda had laid out finger sandwiches, salad, sodas, tea, and everything else she said she would.

Arnold looked around happily as he said, "Looks like you've got everything just about ready!"

Even Helga had to admit to herself the place didn't look like it would be so bad. "So, have you heard from anyone yet?" she asked.

Rhonda looked at her proudly, responding "No, but no one is EVER late to my parties! We've still got fifteen minutes!"

No sooner had she said that, the doorbell rang. "What did I tell you?!" Rhonda bragged as she headed to answer the door. She opened it to find Nadine holding a plate of Peanut Butter crackers. "Hi Rhonda! Hope I'm not late. I brought some Peanut Butter crackers for the party!"

Rhonda rolled her eyes at the thought, as she replied "Oh Nadine, I already laid out exquisit food for our friends to feast on! Your snack crackers are highly unnecessary!"

Continuing to smile as she walked in with the plate, Nadine replied, "I'm sure everyone will love the food you laid out Rhonda. I just decided to bring this because Peanut Butter is actually filled with bug substances, and bugs are rich in protein!"

Covering her mouth, hoping not to gag, Rhonda replied "Uhh Fine! Just set it over by the salad!" Rhonda then heard more knocks at the door. She went to let in their friends, as Nadine went to set the snack she had brought down on the table by Arnold and Helga. "Hey guys! I can't believe this is really happening!"

"Yeah, me either." Arnold said, wrapping his arm around Helga's waist.

"Looking back at grade school, most kids would have thought of you two to be the least likely to end up as a couple, but now it all makes sense." Nadine explained, as Helga crossed her arms and Arnold looked intriguied.

"What makes you say that?" he wondered.

"Well, studies show that when one kid likes another, they often give them 'special attention.'" Nadine began to explain as Helga blushed.

Already knowing what she must be talking about, Arnold couldn't help but encourage her to continue. "Such as?"

"Well, picking on them the way Helga did you. She had no particular reason to, but she continued to do it. We all just thought she was a bully. It turns out, she just couldn't keep her eyes off you anymore than she could her fists." Nadine laughed as Helga felt her blood run cold. Arnold began to run his arm up and down hers, full of happiness and content. Finally, there were no more secrets between them and their classmates. Be that as it may, Helga was still having a hard time dealing with the embarrassment of her tough girl personality in grade school being revealed as nothing more than an act.

Rhonda then entered the living room as the rest of their guests entered. The two people missing were the two Helga was least concerned about seeing.

"I wonder if Olga is still coming?" Arnold asked, looking over at Helga. Still crossing her arms, Helga replied "Pttss...Bob probably guilted her into spending the day cooking and doing errands for the family!"

More friends entered the room, as Helga did her best to keep her cool. She was relieved to find none of their friends had come to tease her and Arnold about their union. "Hey Arnold! I wreckin it's official then. You're tyin the knot!" Stinky said as he patted his friend on the back.

"Yeah, I always knew you'd be the first to pull it off!" Sid added as Helga waited for an insult about her to be added on.

Arnold moved his hand down Helga's back to take her hand, as he smiled at her. Sweat began to form on her face, while she listened to him say "Thanks guys, I couldn't imagine anyone better to spend the rest of my life with!"

Hearing these words come from her beloved, a smile formed on her face. For a moment, she forgot where they were. All she thought about was the happiness his happiness with her brought to her heart. Eventually, she snapped out of it, when she heard her fiance say, "I'm going to get us some drinks Helga." Having to think about what she just heard, her eyes widened as she replied "Huh? Oh sure, Arnold."

Standing there with the guys, Helga began looking at the carpet as she heard another familiar voice speak up. "Gosh Helga! I can't imagine how excited you must be. This is… Ouch! I'm okay!" Eugene began to say, as he tripped over a chair.

Her annoyance with his clumsiness began to put her mind at ease.

Over at the snack table, Arnold was grabbing him and Helga some yahoo's. "I'm ever so thrilled you and Helga are getting married Arnold! I've wanted this for you ever since grade school, just ever so much!" Lila insisted, as she watched Arnold pick up his drinks.

"Thanks Lila! How's school been going for you?" he asked, interested in what she had to say.

Her eyes lit up with anticipation, as she began to explain. "Actually, my cousin Amanda started going to our school this year, so it's been just ever so exciting. I'll have to make sure to introduce you!" Lila began as Arnold stepped back. "I uh, think I may have met her already. She seems, um nice." he gulped as Lila seemed intrigued. "Gosh Arnold. That's ever so exciting! How's your cousin Arnie doing?" Not wanting to inform her about his and Amanda's previous relationship, he replied "Not too bad. He's living at the H.H.S. now." Lila's face formed a frown as she replied "Gosh, that's ever so sad. Will he be at the wedding?" Scratching the back of his neck, he replied, "Well actually…" Suddenly, a knock came to the door.

"It's so rude to show up so late to a party!" Rhonda replied as she went to answer the door. There she opened it to find Arnie standing in front of her. "Uhh...well come in I suppose you were on the list." Rhonda turned up her nose in disgust.

Watching Arnie walk into the living room, Arnold prayed he wouldn't say anything to Lila about Amanda. He realized that may not be necessary once he saw Arnie approaching Helga.

"Well, I better get back to Helga, Lila. It was good talking to you!" Arnold waved as he began to follow Arnie.

Placing a hand on his shoulder, before Arnie could make it to Helga, Arnold asked "Hey Arnie, how's it going? How's your new home?"

"Snort. I got that new job as a lint collector. Snort - I also spend game time counting puzzle pieces." Arnie replied, as Arnold rolled his eyes. He never understood how Arnie could take an interest in those things. He was happy however that he never had to worry about Helga falling for him.

Arnold then took Helga her drink as he saw her sitting beside Phoebe on the couch along with everyone else headed into the living room. "Well, it looks like everyone is here, except Olga." Rhonda pointed out, as Helga butted in. "No complaints here."

"Now, Arnold tells me he has an announcement for all of us. Harold, you'll need to come in here with the rest of us!" Rhonda demanded as Harold continued shoving food in his mouth.

"Aww but I'm hungry! Why can't I stay at the table?!" he complained, as Rhonda replied "Just come in here! The food will still be there when we're finished." she insisted as Harold walked away moping.

Arnold stood up in front of everyone as they all took seats on the furniture. "First off, I want to thank you all for the party. Helga and I have been looking forward to this for a long time. Rhonda and Helga redid the invitations for us, so I'm not sure if they included the information about our wedding being at the beach?"

"That's just ever so romantic Arnold!" Lila exclaimed as the rest of the group began to talk amongst themselves. Arnold looked at Helga with a ray of hope in his eyes, and a look that said _I knew this would go well!_

The second thing Helga and I needed to tell you, is we would be honored if you all would be a part of our wedding party!

"Weddin' party. What in the heck is that? What we're doin' right now?" Stinky asked, as Helga rolled her eyes.

Phoebe then butted in, hoping to clear things up for everyone. "What Arnold is trying to say, is he and Helga have chosen each of us to play a certain role in their wedding."

Gerald nodded his head, sitting on the other side of Phoebe, as he added, "And believe me, a lot of thought was put into this!"

Rhonda's face grew with anticipation as she replied, "Well, don't keep us waiting. What will everyone be doing?"

Arnold nodded as he happily pulled out a list from his pants pocket. "Okay, so Gerald will be my best man." Arnold began as Gerald looked around the room with a wide grin on his face.

"He's been there for me for as long as I can remember. We've shared great times together, helped each other through the bad ones, I don't know how I could have made it this far without you. Thanks Gerald." Arnold finished as Sid leaned over to whisper to Stinky "Were we supposed to write speeches for this party?"

Not bothering to listen, Arnold continued on with his reading. "Next, I've chosen Sid, Stinky, and Harold to all be my groomsmen!" Sid and Stinky looked up with excitement as Harold was still eying the snack table.

"Garsh! I wreckin' I'll have to buy some new fancy light up shoes!" Stinky said as he leaned forward on the couch, eyeing his current ones.

"The wedding's not any time soon is it? We've still got time to prepare right?" Sid asked as Helga rolled her eyes. "Relax dimwit! It's eight months away. If that doesn't give you enough time to prepare, you're a lost cause. Sheesh!"

After hearing their responses, Arnold looked over at Harold. "So, Harold, what do you think?" Still keeping his eye on the food, Rhonda called for him, "Harold! If you don't pay attention, I'm going to put the snacks in the fridge!"

"Aww!" Harold cried as he turned to look at Arnold with crossed arms. Arnold then repeated his question, holding the list in front of his friends. "So Harold, would you like to be one of my groomsmen?"

Still pouting at the floor, he replied. "I guess. Will there be food there?" Sighing at the remark, Arnold replied "Yeah Harold, after the ceremony is over, there will be plenty of food at the reception.

"Alright!" Harold exclaimed as Helga leaned an arm on the side of the couch with her head resting in her hands. Muttering to herself "Oh brother, what an idiot!"

Looking at the final man on his list, Arnold added "Now, we needed someone to be an usher, so Eugene, hopefully you'll accept the job?"

Eugene leaned forward in the chair with his optimistic smile as he replied "Me? Are you kidding? Of course I will" Falling out of the seat after accepting the job, he replied "I'm okay!"

Rhonda leaned back in her lavender, soft cushioned chair, as she crossed her arms and said "This should go smoothly."

"Well, I think that's it on my part…" Arnold began, as he looked to Helga to read hers. Seeing she had no interest in standing in front of everyone, he continued on for them.

"Helga has chosen Phoebe to be her maid of honor. I'm sure she'll do a wonderful job. It means a lot to her, always having someone to listen to her problems just like Gerald does for me." Helga began to blush excessively as she listened to this _Is he TRYING to embarrass us?_ Almost getting up to say something, she felt Phoebe place a hand on her best friends back. "Thank you for being my friend Helga. You know I'm always here for you, just as you've always been there for me." After hearing this, Helga couldn't help but smile, realizing Arnold was right. _Stupid football head. Always right about EVERYTHING!_

After seeing Phoebe thank Helga, Arnold moved on. "Next she chose, Rhonda, Nadine, and Lila for her bridesmaids."

Rhonda remained with her arms crossed in her chair as she replied "I better have gotten a spot in this! I am after all the WEDDING COORDINAtOR!" Helga rolled her eyes at Rhonda's ungrateful behavior as she muttered to herself, "You're welcome Princess."

"Would you like me to bring some of my bugs to the beach to attract the seagulls? They would be a great addition to the wedding!" Nadine suggested as Helga began to rub her head with her hand, still leaning against the couch.

Arnold rubbed the back of his neck, not expecting a response such as this, as he replied "Uhh that's okay Nadine, thanks anyway."

Arnold looked to the last bridesmaid, as he already noticed Lila leaning forward on the couch with a smile that hadn't left her face since the first announcement. "So, Lila. Would you like to be a bridesmaid?" Arnold knew she had known about Helga's love for him, as well as his feelings for her. Therefore, he wasn't sure if being in a wedding for the two of them would seem a bit awkward to her. "I'm certain I would just love to be in your wedding Arnold. Just ever so much!" she replied as he smiled with relief.

"Sheena, like Eugene, we saved an important job for you. Helga's going to need help getting ready before the ceremony. Along with the rest of us needing help setting up...well pretty much everything there. It would be great if you could assist us with all of that." Arnold explained, as he rubbed his neck, hoping not to have made her feel too left out.

"Gosh Arnold! That sounds lovely!" She replied with a wide smile on her face as Arnold began to put away the paper.

"Well I guess that's everyone." Arnold watched the happy looks on all their faces until they heard a familiar noise.

"Snort. What about me?" Arnie asked, standing in the corner near the computer. He had been so quiet, everyone forgot he was there.

Arnold's eyes widened as he saw Arnie eyeing Helga. "Uhh well, I'm sorry Arnie. I guess I assumed you would just want to sit with the rest of our family. You know, since we never get to see each other." he held his breath, hoping that was a good enough excuse.

Not having taken his eyes off a certain someone, Arnie replied "Snort. Can I help Helga get ready before the wedding?"

Helga began to lift her head from her hand as Arnold dropped the paper at his side. Suddenly, they heard a knock at the door. "I'll get it." Rhonda said happily, having an excuse to get away from Arnold's weird cousin.

"Hello! I'm so sorry I'm late! I stopped by the bakery for some cookies I requested ahead of time. Unfortunately, I saw these two cute little boys that just looked devastated when they didn't have the money to buy any! So, I gave mine away, and stayed until they could make more yummy treats for this party!" Olga exclaimed as she handed the basket to Rhonda.

Practically inviting herself in, as Rhonda went to hide the treats from Harold, Olga walked in to find dead silence in the living room. That is, until it was interrupted by her running over to scream "Baby sister!" as she wrapped her arms around Helga. Normally, Helga would be repulsed by the idea of it, but it was a relief to have an excuse not to answer Arnie.

"I'm so sorry I'm late! I just had to make sure I had some goodies for the party!" Olga exclaimed as Helga rolled her eyes.

"So, what were you all talking about before I came?"" Olga asked as Arnie butted in. "Snort. Helga was just agreeing to let me help her get ready on her wedding day."

Helga then jumped off the couch to point a finger in his face and exclaimed "In your dreams! Listen up helicopter head! The only reason you're even here is because family seems to mean the world to football head over there! Therefore, unless you're looking for me to issue a restraining order against you, I don't want you speaking another word to me ever again! Got it?!"

She then sat back on the couch with her arms crossed. Tension built up in the room for everyone except Arnold. Never had he felt such relief before.

"Snort. Okay." Arnie responded, as the rest of the room tried to forget that ever happened.

Being the optimistic person she was, Olga turned to look at her sister. "Baby sister, I'm just so excited about the wedding! There's a chance mommy and daddy will be joining us!"

Helga rolled her eyes as her arms remained crossed, turning away from Olga. "Fat chance, you mean!" Listening to that, tears began to build in Olga's eyes. "Helga, it broke everyone's heart to see you walk out that door!"

"Oh yeah! Then tell me this 'Ms Golden Child!' Why have they always neglected me? Why are they only in a good mood when YOU are around? Why do they have ME do the hard labor and treat YOU like the Queen of England? Why can't they remember My Freakin' Name for cripes sake?! They call me Olga! Mom went right for the blender when I told her I was leaving in case you didn't notice! Dad's first words weren't congratulating me when I said I'm engaged. They werre 'I'm not paying for any stinkin' wedding!'" Maybe they do care about me in some way Olga, but not in the same way they do you! That's just not enough. Why should I go home just to have them ignore me? Just to have to run away again to be reminded that they care? Is there not something a little messed up about that scenario? They're welcome at the wedding. I'M clearly not welcome in their home. At least, if I am, they do a lousy job of showing it!"

Helga poured her heart out, forgetting she was in front of all her friends. Arnold stood and watched the two with so many mixed feelings.

 _Olga clearly cares about Helga, was it wrong of me to take her? Helga's not treated fairly at home though. Not only that, she doesn't feel welcome. Is it anymore wrong of me to make her live where she's miserable when I can clearly help her? She's old enough to make her own decisions. It's not my place to make them for her however. I especially don't want to take advantage of the opportunity when she has such a hard time dealing with her emotions as it is._

For once, Olga held back the tears, as she replied "Well at least one person loves you Helga, and that's me. I'll see you at the wedding." Olga hugged her sister goodbye, as Helga resisted hugging her back.

The teenagers all watched her walk out the door, then turned to Helga. Seeing her throw her head into her hands as she leaned over on the couch.

Waiting for the silence to break, Rhonda replied "Well, I've got some lovely music I've been waiting to put on. And Harold...go ahead and start eating again." she sighed.

Soon everyone was up and walking around, as Arnold did his best to liven the mood. The only two who seemed to not be enjoying themselves were Phoebe and Helga.

Putting her hand around her friend's shoulder, Phoebe asked "Would you like to talk about this?" Helga looked over at her concerned friend as she replied "What is there to talk about? You know it doesn't matter how my parents feel about me deep down. That doesn't mean they'll treat me any differently if I go back! Just because they may love me (fat chance) doesn't mean they appreciate me! And that hu-hur-" Trying to get the words out, her friends finished for her.

"It hurts." Phoebe frowned as Helga put her hands together, looking down at the floor. After a few hours had passed, everyone was back in the living room finishing up their snacks. "Well everyone, next month we will be purchasing invitations for the wedding shower! Next month will be quite a busy one, so we'll need to stay on top of things!" Rhonda exclaimed as Helga rolled her eyes.

The teenagers all began to leave as Phoebe walked up to Helga. "Do you need to come over to my place and talk for awhile longer?" Feeling Arnold place a hand on her shoulder, she looked into his sad eyes and replied "Thanks Pheebs, but I think I'm just going to go home. It's been kind of a long day." Smiling back, Phoebe said "I understand." as she and Gerald exited together.

Arnold walked with his loved one to the car as he watched her hold her head against the window, as she had done against the couch. Practically the entire party. They were silent most of the ride until finally, Helga said "Where are you going, this isn't the way home?" Arnold sighed at her words as he replied "Well, not MY home." She lifted part of her eyebrow as he parked in front of her house. "What are we doing here?" she asked.

Looking at her with his sad emerald eyes, he replied "Helga, it breaks my heart knowing about the way your family treats you! It also fills me with guilt knowing I'm responsible for splitting you up. You said yourself your family loves you. Perhaps all you need is to spend time with them. There's nothing I would love more than to be with you. Things will never change if you don't spend time with them, however."

Her eyes lit mixed with both rage and terror, as she replied. "Arnold! Did you not listen to ANYTHING I screamed at Olga? Just because they care about me, doesn't mean they SHOW it? Believe it or now, that DOES matter! Don't you think I've tried letting them know how they make me feel? There's only so much advice and support you can give a person! You can't MAKE them change if they don't want to. Somewhere along the line, they have to do their part as well! I've done my part. I've let them know how they make me feel, I've told them why, I've pointed out their mistakes, I've shown them the reasons for it! Now it's their turn to do something about it...which they've had nearly eighteen years to do! Arnold, it's a little late. Spending time with them for the next few months, doing what I've been doing my entire life, isn't going to suddenly bonk them on their heads and make them say to themselves, 'Oh I should straighten up and fly right!' Miriam drinks because life didn't turn out the way she wanted it to, which I'm clearly not enough to change for her. Bob makes me work, because aside from Olga, his business is his number one priority in life! If YOU care about me, you won't send me back here. If you do, I'm not staying. You said the last thing you want is for me to be miserable? Well you've got a funny way of showing it, football head!"

Arnold's heart began to sink as his mind filled with confusion. All he wanted was for her family to treat her right. He knew the only hope of that happening would be for her to go back in there. He didn't want to be what prevented that from happening. In the depths of his heart though, he knew she was right. They had their chance, and they blew it. Then he remembered his grandpa's words, which she herself brought up. "You can support a person, you can give them advice, you can't make them change if they don't want to however."

Taking her hand, as he felt her tremble, he said "Then let's go in together." She began to take it back from him as she smirked, "Why? So you can live there with me? Fat chance of that happening!"

Taking both her hands, he replied "No, so I can talk to them with you. Helga I'm not going to make you stay if you don't want to. I'm not going to force you to do anything you don't want to. I would feel just as guilty about that! I just want to do as much as possible to show them what they're missing out on."

She sighed as she frowned, taking her hands back. Reaching for the door, she replied "Fine, but you're wasting your time. We BOTH are!"

Filled with excitement, Arnold raced around the car, as he followed her up the steps of her stoop. He watched her hand tremble as she reached up to ring the doorbell. After doing it, he took her other one and said, "Everything's going to be okay."

Olga then opened the door, as she screamed "Baby sister!" grabbing Helga for a tight squeeze. Scowling at her, Helga replied "You know one of these days, you're going to wind up breaking my back!"

"Come in you two! We're watching television in the living room!" Olga exclaimed as Helga muttered, "You sure it's not in the kitchen?"

Following her in there, they heard Olga scream "Mommy! Daddy! She's back!"

"Who is? Oh hey Olga." Bob replied, looking at Helga with half lidded eyes, as she gave Arnold a look that screamed _What did I tell you?_

Olga then turned off the television and said to her parents, "I believe Helga has some very important news to tell us, don't you Helga?"

Watching Olga take a seat on the couch, Helga wasn't quite sure what to say at first.

"Well, let's make this snappy, I'm missin' the wheel!" Bob exclaimed.

Helga rolled her eyes at his lack of interest until she placed a hand on her hip and replied. "Wedding's May 31, takes place at the beach. You know, the one where you got burnt to a crisp and Miriam stayed sober for an entire week. Come if you want, if not, whatever."

Helga finished as Arnold grabbed her before she could reach the door. "Actually, Mr. Pataki, I wanted to talk to you about the way things have been around here over the years."

Bob frowned at Arnold as he replied "What are you talking about kid? You don't live here?!"

"Maybe not, but I do know you haven't treated Helga fairly. That's why she decided to leave you." Arnold pointed out, as he began to rub his arm.

Bob got up to get in his face, as Helga watched Arnold shake. "Listen I don't appreciate the way you treat the girl I'm about to marry. She's felt neglected by you her entire life! All because you see your other daughter as perfect. Helga possesses all of the same great qualities. You're just not willing to look at them because you're too distracted with other things. I think if you considered taking more time to notice what goes on in her life, rather than just your own, you'd be surprised to find out what an amazing person she is!"

Bob scowled as he listened to these words. "What do you know kid? You haven't been raising her?"

"No, she's been raising herself. You pay her no attention." Arnold replied, realizing Helga may have been right. Olga was just too blind to see or admit the truth.

Helga stood there with her arms at her side, amazed at how hard Arnold was trying to make things right. Not amazed however, at the fact nothing was changing. When Arnold realized nothing would, he took Helga's hand and sighed. "Let's go Helga."

The two once again entered the car with silence until they were halfway to the boarding house. "I'm sorry I didn't believe you Helga. I just felt guilty."

Rolling her eyes at his apology, she replied "You don't have to apologize for trying to do the right thing. I just wish you would realize you can't fix EVERYTHING. Some things just never change. Especially not people, unless they're willing to do their part. You're not the Great Zamboni who someone could just pay $3.50 to, to have any stupid issue in their lives changed if they needed it to be!" Helga explained as Arnold took her hand in his "Whatever you say Helga."

They then pulled up at the boarding house as Arnold leaned over to give her a long passionate kiss. His guilt disappeared as he felt her return it. Knowing how happy being with him made her, made his heart feel all the more warm. Their dark atmosphere reminded him of the kissing scene they shared in the Romeo and Juliet Play. Feeling her warm body against his made him think of the moment she spent on top of him during their scene on 'Babe Watch'. Lacing his fingers with hers reminded him of their short but sweet kiss in the jungle. Pressing their lips as hard as they could took him as far back as the moment she confessed her love for him on the roof of FTi.

Releasing his lips as he gazed upon the sweet and innocent look she had given him the same night they shared dinner on Valentine's day, he said. "I'm sorry the night didn't go as planned. I'll find a way to make it up to you."

Going back to her normal smirk, she replied. "Right now, all I care about is getting some shut eye!"


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29: Loving The Moment

6 Months Before The Wedding

Arnold and Helga woke up Saturday morning, happy to know there would be no school to worry about that day. Unfortunately, the thought of it didn't seem so bad when Helga received a text from Rhonda.

As Arnold turned in bed to look at his soon to be wife's still sleepy eyes, he said "I think your phone beeped."

Rolling her eyes at the thought of checking it, she replied "I'm sure it's Princess, wanting to get a start on this month's agenda."

Leaning into kiss her, he smiled running his fingers through her hair. "I'm sure it won't be that bad." The two laid there practically naked under the covers; nothing but there underwear. As Arnold pulled her close, he could feel her heart beating beneath her smooth skin. Rolling on top of her, as he twisted the covers around them, he listened to her say, "Twice in twelve hours? What kind of soda did you drink last night?"

Laying his lips on hers, he replied "Talking about the plans for the wedding just reminded me of the engagement party...which I still feel terrible about trying to make you go home after. I just didn't want to be what was standing in the way of you and your family healing."

Helga tried looking away, but had no such look. With their faces together, she replied "Arnold, I told you, you cannot fix every problem you come across...especially not my home life. Not only that, it's really none of your business!" she insisted as he pressed their lips together.

Just then, a knock came to the door. The two of them turned their heads toward it, as they heard "Hey kids! Breakfast is downstairs. Better come eat, before the rest of the boarders do!" Miles insisted, as the two of them got up.

Arnold sat up to grab his clothes, while Helga went to check her phone. "Was it Rhonda?" he asked as Helga read the message. "Pttss...who else?" she scowled.

Looking a bit nervous, he replied. "So, what does she have you and Phoebe doing with her today?"

"Well, if I can get Phoebe to come, we'll be purchasing the invitations for the wedding shower. Then if we have the time, meet with the officiant. Oh, and send messages to all the girls about meeting tomorrow to pick out their bridesmaid dresses. Crimety!" she sneered as Arnold looked at her sympathetically.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" he wondered, knowing the groom didn't usually have a big part in that type of thing. Helga looked up at him, as she replied. "Not unless you and Geraldo would like to plan the honeymoon?" she said sarcastically as his face brightened "Sounds great! I'll call him right now!"

Helga gave a weak smile as she grabbed her clothes, thinking to herself Oh my love, where would I be without your optimism?

As the two of them finished getting ready, Helga texted Phoebe.

"Hey Pheebs, What's up?"

"Good morning Helga. How are you?"

"Eh, not bad. You want to help Rhonda with those wedding shower invitations, then meet with the officiant?"

"I'd be delighted Helga!"

"Great. Meet you at her place after breakfast."

"Meeting!"

Setting her phone aside, Helga looked over at Arnold to see him beginning to call Gerald.

"Hey Gerald, How's it going?"

"Hey Arnold, What's up? How's your lady"

Looking over at Helga, he knew it wouldn't be the best time to start laying out his lingering guilt about the party.

"Uhh everything's fine. Listen, she and the girls are going to start the wedding shower invitations, so I thought you could come over and help me plan out the honeymoon?"

"Man! Rhonda's really got you two staying on top of things! But sure, I'll come over."

"Thanks Gerald. See you soon!"

"See ya!"

Looking over at Helga still sitting on his bed, Arnold replied, "Well, I guess we're both set for the day. Let's go eat!"

Helga followed him down the stairs, as they saw two plates of pancakes and sausage had been set aside for them.

"You two better sit down and eat before Kakashka grabs these! Can't keep his grubby paws off of anything!" Phil exclaimed as the soon to be newly wed couple sat in front of their plates.

Stella came in with a pitcher of orange juice for the table as she asked "So you two never told us much about your engagement party. You came home later than expected that night!"

Helga began to blush as Arnold looked over at her. Normally, she would be halfway through her plate. He knew she was sitting there going over the tragic events that had occured between the two of them and her family however. All of which, he had caused.

"Yeah, Rhonda just kept everyone awhile. She made a lot of snacks, and we didn't want to be rude by not helping everyone finish them." Arnold said, hoping she would buy it.

"Oh, well what do the two of you have planned for today." Miles asked, seeing Helga finally dig into her pancakes.

"Helga and Phoebe are going to Rhonda's to start the Wedding Shower invitations. Then meeting with the officiant to make sure everything is still set up properly." Arnold explained.

As Arnold explained, Phil interrupted. "What about you shortman? You goin' to help, or are you being smart and having no business in it?" Phill laughed.

Everyone looked at Arnold as he wrapped his arm around Helga. "Actually, Gerald is coming over to help me plan the honeymoon."

His parents looked at each other; surprised the couple was already thinking about that. "Sounds exciting! You kids have fun!" Stella said as Helga was finishing her plate.

"Well see you later Arnoldo. You know Princess will have a fit if I'm late." Helga reminded him, as he sadly watched her leave. Just as she opened the door, Gerald walked in.

"Hey Helga. How's it going? he asked, as she raised part of her eyebrow. "What's it to ya?" she asked, placing her hands on her hips. Not expecting a better response, Gerald walked over to Arnold in the dining room, as Helga walked out the front door.

As Helga walked down the street to Rhonda's, she saw Lila speaking to Amanda. Passing by, Lila couldn't help but run over to Helga's side of the street. "Helga, it's ever so nice to see you! Amanda told me about being in class with you!"

Rolling her eyes, Helga couldn't help but let slip, "Yeah, apparently she shares the hots for Arnold's lame-o cousin. Looks like you two have more in common then you know."

Holding a finger to her chin, Lila replied "Amanda likes Arnie? She never said anything?"

Helga placed a hand on her hip, as she continued. "Probably because she was just using him to get to Arnold."

Widening her eyes, Lila responded "Gosh, that seems ever so mean! Should I talk to her?"

Crossing her arms, Helga scoffed "What good would that do? She's not afraid of us."

Placing a hand on her shoulder, Lila replied "Don't worry Helga, I'll make sure she stays away from Arnold!"

Helga uncrossed her arms, looking at Lila with a bit of gratitude. "Thanks, it's too bad Arnoldo can't do the same with his cousin."

Giving her a puzzled look, Lila replied "You don't have feelings for Arnie though do you?"

Helga's eyes lit up. The thought of him touching her repulsed her. "Are you kidding? In what dream world would you ever find that to be true?!" she scowled.

Lila smiled, as she pointed out. "If you don't have feelings for Arnie, I'm ever so certain Arnold has nothing to worry about. Just like if he has no feelings for Amanda, I'm ever so certain you have nothing to worry about."

Helga smiled as she watched Lila walk away. Eventually, she made it to Rhonda's just as Phoebe was approaching the door. "Good morning, Helga! Ready for an exciting day of wedding planning?"

"Pttss...you mean an unbearable day of Rhonda demanding. Sure, I'm ready." Helga replied, with her hands on her hips.

Phoebe then rang the doorbell as Rhonda quickly answered. "You're here! Come in, we have so much to do!"

Phoebe entered with a smile on her face, as Helga followed unhappily behind. The two sat on the couch beside the computer, as Rhonda pulled up the site they were registered at.

"Okay, now Helga. We need to purchase invites that are just as good, if not better, than the engagement party ones."

Helga watched Rhonda pat for her to sit at the computer chair, to get a front row seat of the invitations. There were ones decorated with hearts. Some decorated with wedding bells. Every other one had a bride and groom holding hands together.

As Helga clicked through them, Phoebe saw there was an option of picking more than one decoration to put on the invitation. "This looks useful. That is, if you are indecisive about this Helga."

Helga continued clicking through the designs until she found a design with little chocolate cakes covering the exteriors of the card. It reminded her of the night Arnold had helped her remove the finished cake from her face. As she sat in the chair daydreaming about the night, Rhonda stared at the choice it appeared Helga had made.

"A wedding cake? Oh please! If you MUST have that on your invitation, save it for the ACTUAL wedding invitation. This is merely your wedding shower!" as Rhonda was about to go on, Phoebe pulled her away from the computer. "Remember what Arnold said about letting her have final say in this. You've shown her the choices, now let her decide." she pointed out. "Uhh fine! But don't blame me when she looks back in ten years and says to herself 'what was I thinking?!"

By that point, Helga had snapped out of her daydream. "I'll go with this one I guess." Sighing at the idea, Rhonda replied "Alright. Now, we need to pick a font! This is where it gets tricky! You want something legible, yet beautiful!"

Helga rolled her eyes thinking to herself Criminy, I'd be satisfied just dropping a sheet of notebook paper with scribbled pen on it into everyone's mailboxes!

"Uhh….you pick for me." Helga said surprisingly, as Rhonda jumped for joy. "Oh! I happen to know the top twenty wedding fonts people choose from for their wedding invitations!"

Phoebe's eyes widened as Helga muttered "Of course you do."

Rhonda began to show them the list….

Sverige Script

Mademoiselle Camille

Riesling

Jasmine Reminiscentse

Cardinal

Bellerose

Coneria Script

Janda Stylish Script

Bleeding Cowboys

Edwardian Script

Copper Plate Gothic Light

La Compagnie Des Ombree

Honey Script

Neoteric

Candlescript

Carine Alme Les Chocolats

Traveling Typewriter

Fragment Core

Monmica

Holly Berry Wonderland

Rhonda stood there anxiously as Helga viewed them. "What the hell is Bleeding Cowboys?"

Clicking on the font section, Rhonda showed Helga everything the page had to offer.

"Kind of makes you find writing all of this down to be a bit pointless, wouldn't you say?" Helga said sarcastically, as Rhonda turned up her nose.

"Well if we want legible, that Camile crap is the last thing I'd go with! Some of these don't look any better than my own writing. I guess I'll go with the Edwardian Script." Helga said, shrugging her shoulders.

Phoebe smiled at her friend's attempt to make an effort in the situation as Rhonda replied. "Not a bad choice. I so could have chosen better, but not a bad choice."

Helga rolled her eyes as she replied "Well, it's not like it's MY wedding or anything." Ignoring the smart comment, Rhonda replied, "Okay we've got the acceptable font and the eyesight bearable background for the invitations. Now we need to look at the list of people they'll be going out to, so we know how many to get.

As Helga pulled out the list, she thought to herself Should I bother inviting Bob and Miriam? I guess I won't be wasting too much money if I do and they don't show.

"Uhhh I guess without Arnold and I, we'll be needing 40 invites." Helga hesitated to say.

Rhonda entered the information into the website, as Phoebe placed a hand on Helga's shoulder, knowing the thoughts that had to be going through her mind at the moment.

Meanwhile, Arnold had been sitting in his room, thinking of plans for the honeymoon. "You've been pretty quiet man. Something bothering you?" Gerald asked, as he looked at his quiet friend.

"It's...it's Helga." Arnold stuttered as Gerald rolled his eyes. "Yeah, that wasn't hard to figure out. So what happened?"

"I just felt so bad after seeing what happened between her and Olga at the engagement party." he began as Gerald interrupted.

"I think we all did. That wasn't exactly what people expected to be the entertainment for an engagement party!"

Arnold rolled his eyes, as he continued. "Anyway, I stood there thinking things could be fixed between her and her family if I just gave it a chance. It was my fault for taking her away. I was so filled with guilt, I took her back there and tried to make her stay."

"Arnold! Will you ever learn? You can't MAKE her do anything anymore than you can her family! She wants to be with you, and a huge reason is because her family wants nothing to do with her!" Gerald exclaimed.

"Gerald! That's a terrible thing to say!" Arnold responded angrily.

"I know man, but it's the truth! Just because it would be great to see her family warm up to her doesn't mean it's ever going to happen. Even if by some miracle it did, that doesn't mean you're the only person in the world to make it happen. You can't solve everyone's problems for them buddy! Do yourself a favor for once and stop putting the weight of the world on top of your shoulders." Gerald insisted as Arnold sat back on the couch, letting out a long, sad sigh.

"You're right Gerald. I guess all I can do is pray that they'll be at the wedding." Arnold looked down at the floor, with his head in his hands.

Gerald came over to sit beside him, as he placed his arm around his friend's shoulder. "If not, she's still got you!"

"Thanks, I guess we should get down to deciding on how the honeymoon is going to go. She won't be very happy to find I volunteered to help, and then didn't do anything." Arnold insisted, as the two sat on the floor with some pens and paper.

"No kidding!" Gerald replied as Arnold rolled his eyes.

Back at Rhonda's place, the girls were finishing up the invitations. "And wallah! We have selected and purchased the invites! They should be here Monday! Now we are left with plenty of time to meet with the officiant...who I have already called."

Helga was becoming just as impressed as she was annoyed. If it wasn't mandatory for her to be there, she would have been quite grateful.

"He's already agreed to help us. All we need to do is map out the ceremony with him." Rhonda continued as the three of them got up to head for her car.

"What a lovely convertible Rhonda!" Phoebe exclaimed as Rhonda put on her sunglasses. "Thanks, it's actually my mom's car. Once I start college, They'll be giving it to me. The suspence is unbearable!"

"Oh, how do you sleep at night?" Helga muttered to herself, as she sat in the back seat.

The three of them looked at the address given to them by Tish. Making it to the officiant's house, Rhonda anxiously lead them to the front door. "Now Helga, have you given any thought to how you want this mapped out?" Rhonda asked at they stood in front of the door. Before she could answer however, the officiant opened the door.

"Hello, you must be Helga?" he said, pointing to Rhonda. She waved her hand at him, as if she was repulsed by the thought. "Actually, she is Helga. My name is Rhonda; the wedding coordinator!"

"Come in all of you! Let's talk about the plans for the wedding." he said, inviting them in. "Now this is taking place at the beach?"

Phoebe nodded as she responded, "Correct. There will be 40 guests, not counting the bride and groom."

"This doesn't sound like it should be too busy. Do you know the spot on the beach you would like to have it?" the officiant asked, as Helga thought about the kiss she shared with Arnold during there Babe Watch scene.

"Uhh kind of." she replied, as she began to blush.

"Well, as long as you know the spot, and everyone who will be there, we shouldn't have a problem." the officiant replied.

Rhonda jumped in, as she replied "Perfect! That was easy! Let's go girls." They headed out the door as Helga wiped her head in relief. Happy she didn't have to explain WHY she chose the spot which she did.

As the girls were heading out, the guys were going over what they had decided would be the best pick for the honeymoon.

"I don't know Arnold? Between the cost of the wedding and college, do you really think you could afford this?" Gerald asked suspiciously.

Arnold frowned at him, replying "It's just me and Helga going. And we'd only be staying the weekend?"

"I think it would take you two days to walk that far out! You may want to set aside a week if you really plan on doing this!" Gerald exclaimed.

"Fine, I'll talk to her about it!" Arnold responded as he leaned back against his bed.

"So, what makes this place seem like a much better fit for your honeymoon than just staying at the beach?" Gerald asked.

"It's where I realized I had feelings for her, Gerald. I mean, she won us the trip, she helped us escape from La Sombra, helped us find my parents, woke them up for me. I wouldn't have them if it wasn't for her!" Arnold exclaimed.

"I know man, she's cool. In her own...Helga type way." Gerald replied, still not believing his best friend was marrying the class bully.

Suddenly, they heard footsteps coming through the hallway. "Are they home already? I didn't realize how late it was?" Arnold gasped as he and Gerald got off the floor.

"Well, I'll see you later buddy. Don't worry, I'm sure she'll love the idea!" Gerald assured him as the two did their secret handshake.

Gerald reached for the doorknob just as Helga began to turn it. The two began to pull back and forth at the same time, until finally, Gerald let go. Arnold then heard "Ouch! Thump! Click!...Crimety! As Gerald stood and witness her head hit the bottom of the stairs. "Helga! Are you okay!" Arnold screamed, as he raced passed Gerald. Seeing her barely able to lift herself up, he picked her up to carry to his bed.

"I'm so sorry man! I had no idea she was on the other side!" Gerald insisted as Arnold said, "I think she'll be okay. Don't worry about it."

Gerald then left as he shut the door behind him. Arnold sat down beside her, as he watched her hold her head. He hated to see her in pain. As he bent over to kiss her on the forehead, she began to shake. "Sheesh football head! That's the part of my head that I slammed!" Bringing on more guilt, he held her hand as he gasped "I'm sorry Helga! What can I do to help you?!"

Hearing the guilt in his voice made her feel all the more guilty. "Uhh I'll be fine. I think I just need some water and something for my head."

Arnold raced off, nearly tripping down the stairs himself. "Hey son! You were upstairs quite awhile! Did you get everything done that you needed to?" Miles asked.

"Uh yeah. I think so." Arnold replied as he grabbed some Aspirin and water.

"Don't you two want dinner?" Stella asked.

Barely able to make himself stand still, Arnold replied, "Not now. Helga's not feeling well. I need to take her something for her head!" Before letting him run off once again, Stella handed him a plate of chicken and dumplings for her. "Here, she should still eat something."

Arnold smiled as he took the plate, then rushed back upstairs to his bedroom. There he saw Helga holding her head, with her knee propped in the air, turning to look at the floor. Just as she was about to look at his plans for the honeymoon on the floor, she noticed him walking into the room.

"It's about time football head." she whispered, not feeling like yelling at him. Setting the plate and water on the table beside her, he sat down to hand her the asprin. As she sat up to take it, he handed her the water. Watching her taking a sip of it, he held up some dumplings on a fork for her.

She laid her head back down and scoffed "Aren't you getting a little tired of feeding me?" Brushing the hair out of her face, he replied "I'll never get tired of helping you." She let out a weak smile as she laid there with her hands on her stomach. He held out the spoon, as though he was waiting for her to sit up. "I'm really not hungry Arnoldo." Rolling his eyes at her, he propped his arm under her back, sitting her up close to him. "That doesn't mean you shouldn't still eat." he insisted, pushing the spoon against her lips. Not willing to open them, Arnold asked "Is this what our kids are going to be like?" She paused for a moment to think...

Having kids with my beloved. Feeding them, holding them, tucking them in at night. And it will all start in less than a year with our wonderful wedding next summer! Ohhh

"Uhh...That depends. Will you be this stu…" Before she could finish, he shoved the spoon in her mouth. As much as she wanted to spit it back at him, not giving into his dominance, she was loving the moment. He was holding her close, taking care of her in her time of need, doing whatever he could to help her feel better.

"See, that wasn't so bad now was it?" he asked full of pride, as he watched her lay in his arms with closed eyes on his shoulder. "Mmm...Shut up Arnoldo." she moaned, trying not to appear weak.

Seeing how tired she was, he laid her down under the covers , after helping her change her clothes. Kissing her on the forehead, she passed out at the touch of his lips.


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30: Yes I Love You; Do I Need You?

The next thing Helga knew, it was morning, and she saw her beloved sleeping peacefully beside her. As she sat up, she felt her head throbbing. "Criminety! It's like I got hit with another baseball!" Leaning over Arnold to grab the aspirin, she slipped, and fell on him. "Oh! What the…" Arnold mumbled, as he opened his eyes to see Helga in his face. "Sorry football head. I was reaching for the aspirin." she explained, as he began to sit up. Handing it to her, he asked "Are you feeling any better? You fell asleep before you could finish dinner last night."

"You mean, before you could finish shoving those sloppy flour cakes down my throat? I'd say I made the right choice." Helga snarled, as he rolled his eyes at her. "Whatever you say Helga."

After she took the aspirin, Arnold watched her get out of bed. "So, what are you and the girls doing today?" Helga snarled as she responded "Princess has planned for the girls to pick out their bridesmaid dresses today."

Looking a bit puzzled, Arnold replied "Don't YOU get to decide that?"

Putting on her shoes, Helga shrugged her shoulders. "I guess. You know Princess will want some say in it though. So, did you and tall hair boy ever pick a place for the honeymoon? Or did you just have him shove me down the stairs to hide the fact that you couldn't think of anything?"

Beginning to blush, Arnold sat up in bed, turning his feet over the side. "Actually, I thought you might like to go back to San Lorenzo. We could see the green eyes again!"

Placing a hand on her waist, holding her phone in the other hand, she replied "Eh, La Sombra IS dead now, so what the heck." she replied, as a smile formed on his face.

As Arnold began to get up, his phone beeped. "Who's bugging you this early in the morning?" Helga asked.

"Uhh it's a text from Stinky. 'Hey Arnold! You got the directions to the beach we'll be at?' He wants directions to the beach."

"Oh brother! The wedding's not for another six months! What an idiot!" Helga exclaimed as Arnold set his phone aside.

"Yeah, but maybe this would be a good day for me to arrange transportation for everybody. You know, just in case there families can't make it." Arnold suggested, as he reached for his clothes.

"Whatever floats your boat football head." Helga replied as she headed downstairs. Arnold watched with anticipation, as he replied "Wait! Why are you in such a hurry?"

Turning to look at him annoyingly, she grunted "I told you Princess has us scheduled to pick the bridesmaids dresses today, and this place isn't exactly right around the corner." Sorry to see her go, he replied "Okay, well at least make sure you get something to eat on your way out!"

Not replying to his suggestion, she marched past the dining room. "Hey shortman's girlfriend! You gonna have some waffles?" Phil asked, putting down his paper.

"Uhh I'm kind of in a hurry. Thanks anyway." She walked out, slamming the door behind her. At the bottom of the steps, Phoebe was waiting for her. "Good morning Helga! Ready to pick out the dresses?"

Staring with half lidded eyes, Helga replied "Yeah, yeah. I've got a whopping headache thanks to our boyfriends however, so I may let The Queen of Fashion do all the work today...not like that's different from any other day."

As the two girls began walking in the direction of the wedding store, Arnold received a text from Gerald. "Hey man! What did Helga think about your honeymoon choice?"

"She seemed to like the idea. I think she's still got a pretty big headache from last night though, so we didn't talk too much about it."

" .mm. Well, you got any plans for today?"

"I was actually getting ready to arrange transportation for the wedding, in case not everyone's family cares to come. You want to help?"

"Sure man. Be right over!"

As Phoebe and Helga continued walking, Phoebe couldn't help but notice the perturbed look on Helga's face. "Aside from your headache Helga, is there anything else bothering you?"

"I was just thinking about last night. After Geraldo knocked me down the stairs and gave me a migraine the size of Pink Boy's stomach, Arnold started taking care of me. He put me to bed, brought me some medicine, fed me dinner, held me in his arms." Helga sighed as Phoebe jumped in, "Sounds delightful!"

"Yeah, but then I started thinking about what happened after he and I left the party. He tried to make me go back to live with my family, because he thought it would be best for me. Best - For - Me?! I'm Helga G Pataki! I don't need his opinion about what's Best - For - Me!" Helga exclaimed, as Phoebe looked at her troubled friend.

"Arnold was merely thinking of you Helga. That's what a relationship is. You think about and try to do what's best for one another." Phoebe explained as she watched Helga hang her head low.

"I'm just..just...I'm just REALLY having a hard time choosing between this vulnerability and dominance crap! When he held me in his arms, it was the most amazing feeling in the world! Even then though, I wouldn't give into allowing him to feed me. I couldn't give into letting him feel like I needed him!" Helga stopped as Phoebe responded "Helga, repeat that last part to yourself."

"I couldn't give into letting him feel like I needed him?" Helga lifted part of her eyebrow, wondering where her friend could be going with this.

"What do you believe marriage is Helga?" Phoebe asked, hoping to get through to her best friend.

Helga began to think of all her fantasies with Arnold. Sharing dinner, walks along the beach, amusement park rides, finally walking down the aisle.

"I guess just spending your life with the one you love." Helga held her head, too tired to really think it over.

"Marriage is about more than love Helga. Why would you want to be with someone if you didn't feel like they needed you? Independence is admirable, but it's not always necessary."

Bad as her head hurt, Helga took these words into consideration. The rest of the walk was quiet, as Helga processed this thought and Phoebe didn't want to make her friend's head any worse.

Once they arrived at the store, Rhonda, Nadine, Lila and Sheena were all waiting outside the store. "Helga! Phoebe! Now that we're all here, we can start our shopping!" Rhonda exclaimed

Helga squeezed her forehead with her hand, thinking to herself _Crimety! Does she HAVE to be that loud?_

The girls began looking at the dresses as Helga took a seat in the first chair she saw. Rhonda walked over and asked "Now Helga, seeing as how it's so important you have final say in everything, we'll need you to give us an idea of what types of dresses you're interested in seeing us wear."

"Unless the dress is shaped like a bottle of Excedrin, I couldn't care less!" Helga exclaimed, as Rhonda turned up her nose at the remark.

Phoebe recommended the girls all try on pink dresses to match the features on Helga's dress. "I'll never know what that girl sees in that color, but I suppose it IS her wedding." Rhonda snarled.

Rhonda found dresses that resembled ballerinas, while Sheena found dresses decorated with roses. Lila seemed to be having a hard time picking her favorite one. As they went through the dresses, Nadine asked Phoebe "You think Helga would like dresses with butterflies and ladybugs on them?"

Back at home, Arnold and Gerald were making the transportation reservations.

"Yes, the wedding is on May 31. With the bride and groom, you can expect 42 people. Sounds great! Bye"

As Arnold hung up the phone, he looked to Gerald and anxiously said "Well, I made the transportation reservations with 'The Knot.' We're going to have to let everyone know to meet at the company at six am that morning, if we're going to make it to the beach in time for the wedding."

" .mmm. Guess we better start making those phone calls!" Gerald insisted.

While making the calls, Helga sat in the chair, resting her head as she thought about Phoebe's words. _Why would I not want him to feel needed? Shouldn't I want him to know how important he is to me?_

Her thoughts were then interrupted by "Helga, I'm ever so certain you should look at the dresses we've chosen."

As she stood up to look for her friends in their dresses, she asked "Where are they? What am I looking at here?"

She then noticed the girls standing at a computer near the fitting room. "Helga, I spoke with the owner, and apparently we are allowed to design our own dresses. I took it upon myself to have us in carnation pink sleeveless dresses. Quite similar to what you wore in grade school. Then requested they add a red ribbon to tie around the center." Phoebe explained, as her best friend smiled back at her.

Helga's headache began to lighten as she noticed all the loving smiles around her. The thought that was put into this made her feel as though it wasn't such a bad thing to let other people do things for her.

Meanwhile, Arnold and Gerald were finishing up the phone calls. "I guess the last call to make is Olga." Arnold sighed, hesitating to dial the number.

"You sure you want to do it buddy? Like you said, Helga doesn't even care if they come." Gerald tried encouraging him not to worry about it.

"We're already sending out invitations to her. All I'm doing here is letting her know where we'll be meeting for the ride." Arnold replied as Gerald lifted an eyebrow. "Why not just put that information on the invitation?"

Arnold rolled his eyes as he began dialing. "I don't know? I'm not the one in charge of those!"

Ring..Ring..Ring..

"Hello!"

"Hey, Olga? It's...It's Arnold."

"Arnold!" She exclaimed as Arnold held the phone away from his ear.

"Uh yeah...Listen, I've arranged transportation for everyone to get to the wedding. You'll have to be at 'The Knot' at six am on May 31." Arnold said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Oh thank you so much for calling! I'm so sorry about what happened the night of the party!" Olga sobbed.

"Don't worry about it. For Helga's sake, let's just pretend it never happened." Arnold suggested, as a frown came to his face.

"Okay Arnold. Bye!" she said excitedly as Arnold was anxious to hang up the phone.

Arnold laid back on his bed with his arms spread across, legs hanging over, as Gerald said "Well, that sounded like it went smoothly."

"Yeah, she seems okay. I guess she can bring her parents if they change their minds. We reserved two extra seats. If not, Helga won't let it ruin her day." Arnold sighed.

Gerald then stood up, as he replied "I don't know about you, but all these phone calls have made me hungry!"

Arnold sat up as he responded "Yeah, let's go see if there's anything to eat."

Walking downstairs, the boys saw Phil and Miles playing chinese checkers in the kitchen.

"Hey shortman! How's it goin'?" Phil asked, as Miles made a move on the board. "Not bad grandpa. We arranged transportation for the wedding at a company called 'The Knot'."

"Well! Look at you keeping ahead of schedule!" Phil exclaimed as he winked at his grandson.

"Everyone has to be there at six am on May 31." Arnold continued explaining as Gerald went for the fridge.

"Six am! What in the blue blaziz?! Uhhh...Well I guess it is your wedding day shortman. I guess it will also be worth going a day without Pookey's cooking!" Phil thought out loud.

Gerald brought hot dogs to the table as he asked "You guys got any buns for these?" Arnold went to help Gerald with the hotdogs as Phil saw Miles had him trapped in a corner.

"Wait a second? Did you touch anything?!" he asked his son, as Miles turned to look at Arnold. "Of course not!" winking at him.

The boys sat at the table with their hotdogs as Arnold continued to think about Helga. Miles looked over at his son and asked "What's wrong son?"

"Huh? Oh nothing dad. I was just thinking about Helga." Arnold said, as Gerald jumped in. "Just saying that girl's name could put a frown on a person's face!"

Ignoring the remark, Arnold continued. "She had a really bad headache last night. Then, it looked like she was doing a little better this morning. She raced out of the house though, like she didn't want to see me?"

"She's probably just not feeling back to normal yet." Miles guessed as Gerald added. "Yeah man, she took a pretty nasty fall!"

Miles looked concerned as he turned to Gerald and asked "What happened?"

Rather than explaining every thorough detail, Gerald simply replied "She fell down the attik stairs and slammed her head on the hallway floor."

Widening his eyes, Miles replied "Oh my. Well, I would give her some time to rest."

Arnold rested his arms on the table as Gerald finished his hot dogs. "Well, I've got to go buddy! I'll see you at school tomorrow!"

"Okay, see you later Gerald." Arnold waved, as his friend left the kitchen. Gerald made it to the front door, just as it was being opened by Helga. There she stood rubbing her exhausted face with her hand, until she noticed him standing before her. "What are you looking at Geraldo? Lookin' for another chance to get sued?!" Even with his annoyance at her, Gerald couldn't help but smile at the situation. He slid past her down the porch, as he said "Whatever you say Helga."

Helga was approaching the kitchen as she saw Arnold leaving. "Helga, you're home! How'd everything go!"

Giving him a weak smile, she sighed "It was okay." Arnold saw her dropping her head towards the ground, as though she hadn't slept well. "You don't look like you feel much better?" he pointed out. Rubbing her head once again, she replied "My head still feels like Pink Boy sat on it!"

Arnold took her hand to lead her upstairs. "Come on, let's get you some rest." Knowing Arnold, he would try to do more to make her feel better than just walk her upstairs. Taking Phoebe's words into consideration however, she didn't fight it.

He wanted desperately to ask what type of dresses she had chosen for the other girls. As little as she cared about that type of thing, he was always happy to know when something new and exciting took place in her life. Even if it meant by doing things that wouldn't be her first choice.

When they made it upstairs, he opened the door for her, leading her over to the bed. As she plopped down, hanging her feet off the edge, he took her shoes off for her. She was able to make herself sit up long enough to ask, "How'd the transportation thing work out?"

After taking her shoes off, he laid her down to sit beside her. "Gerald helped me call everyone to tell them to meet at 'The Knot' at six am. May 31. The buses there will take everyone out, so anyone who can't drive themselves won't have to worry about it."

"Crimeney! Start of summer break and we still have to wake up that early?!" she exclaimed, still holding her head. As Arnold looked over at her, she couldn't help but ask. "So, I'm guessing you called Olga?" After seeing him look down, and hearing the awkward silence between them, she added "That means yes football head."

Kissing her on the forehead, moving her hand out of the way, he replied "She didn't seem to care about what happened after the party." He began before she interrupted "Or AT it."

"Yeah. Anyway, She said she's going to do what she can to get your parents to come." he explained, as she was too tired to argue about it. Watching her arm fall beside her, he asked "Did you and the other girls eat today?"

She turned her face back toward his to reply "Nadine suggested getting hot dogs from Mickey's Dog Pound. Rhonda didn't go for it, so she suggested going over to her place for some of those 'oh so adorable finger sandwiches.' I wasn't having any of that. That's when I said I was just heading home. Pheebs was nice enough to walk me back to make sure I was okay."

Arnold took her hand in his as he replied, "Well, you still need to eat. I'll be right back with some food and something for your head."

Helga laid there thinking about her own words, and what Phoebe had told her about them. _I just don't want to appear weak. I guess if I never give in to his help at some point or another, he won't feel appreciated._

At that moment, Arnold was downstairs, heating up a hot dog he had saved for her. Miles was still in the kitchen having 'beat' his father at chinese checkers.

"Hey dad! Where's grandpa?" Arnold asked, placing the food in the microwave. Miles smiled at the question, replying "I think your grandpa knew I made a few changes on the board." winking at his son.

Arnold turned to the cabinet to get Helga some medicine when Miles asked "So, how's Helga doing?"

Turning around with a frown, Arnold replied "Uhh she's still not feeling well. She took a pretty bad fall down the steps."

Miles looked at him with deep concern as he replied "Does she need to go to the hospital?"

The microwave then beeped as Arnold replied "No, I think it's just a headache. I'm taking care of her." Miles looked at his son, as he said "Make sure you do. If you two are going to get married, she'll really be depending on you in times like this!"

"Right dad!" Arnold smiled as he took Helga's food and medicine up to his room. There he saw her with her right arm hanging over the bed, while her other was back holding her forehead. Her left knee was propped in the air while the other leg was stretched across the bed. The same position he saw her in the night before. _Is this her headache position?_ He thought to himself.

She sensed him walking over as she began to open her eyes. There she saw him hovering over her with a hot dog and a glass of water to go with her medicine. Barely able to sit up, she said wittingly "I guess I could have just gone out with Nadine."

Arnold handed her the plate, as he sat beside her. "Maybe, but I'm glad you're here." Watching her eat, he thought to himself _She seems much more open to the fact that I'm taking care of her today. I'd love to point that out, but I shouldn't press my luck._

"So umm...What do your bridesmaid dresses look like?" he couldn't help but wonder. She placed her plate aside as she was finishing up. Then she propped her head up against the pillow with her hands folded in her lap.

"Well, at first I told them just to get whatever they wanted. Which made you know who jump for joy. They couldn't seem to agree on anything though. That's when Pheebs brought me to some fancy computer to show me they ended up designing a dress they knew I would like." Helga explained as Arnold laid back with his arm around her. "That was nice of them."

Sighing at the thought, she replied "Yeah, I'm sure it was all Pheebs. You know Princess doesn't like anything I do."

Arnold handed her the medicine as he replied "That's because she's nothing like you."

Swallowing the pills she had shoved in her mouth, Helga replied. "Pttss...That's for sure!"

Seeing her close her eyes, he knew he should let her get some sleep, but he just wasn't ready to. "Do you know what this week's poem will be about?"

Keeping her eyes closed, she replied "I think we're supposed to write about our dreams. It was going to be about interests, but that kind of got mixed in with our commitment poems. This teacher just can't hold back the ideas."

Running his fingers through her hair, he replied "My childhood dream was to find my mom and dad, and it happened all thanks to you."

She opened her eyes to look at him. Seeing how close he was made her nervous as she admitted "My dream has always been to marry you. Now here it is, about to happen."

Taking her hand, feeling her tremble, he asked "Why are you so nervous?"

"I guess I never felt like I was good enough for you. You have such a pure heart. Even when you know things won't turn out well for yourself, you don't sink as low as other people can be. While I bury my good side deep inside myself to prevent others from knowing if and when they've hurt me. You've always been a much stronger person than I am. I just couldn't let anyone know that." she explained, as she began to turn her face away from his.

He pulled his face back towards him as he kissed her softly. "I know there's a chance you'll never get over your insecurities. It's just who you are. As far as other people's opinions go however, all that matters is what I think of you, and you're more than good enough for me."

She smiled as she kissed him again, exceedingly grateful to have such a wonderful guy care about her so much.

 _Arnold my love, I will continue doing what I can to show the world how much you mean to me. If you can tolerate my level, surely I can rise to your's!_

Looking at the tired expression on her face, he said "We better get you to bed. We have school in the morning."

Helping her change into her nightgown, he couldn't help but ask "So, what kind of wedding dream do you think you'll be having about me tonight?"

She smirked as she replied "Whatever it is, I'm sure it will be better than your nightmare."

Arnold laughed as he helped her under the covers. After changing into his pajamas, he went to crawl in beside her, seeing she had nearly passed out already. Turning over to whisper in her ear, he said "Feel better sweetheart."


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31: What Happens After My Dream Comes True?

The next morning they awoke to the alarm, and Helga's headache was gone. Of course the first thing Arnold asked was "How is your head this morning?" As she rubbed her eyes, she sat up to kiss him on the cheek and replied "Much better, all thanks to you."

Hearing this brought joy to his heart. Not just because she felt better, but because of the appreciation she felt for letting him do something for her.

"Come on! Let's get dressed and eat breakfast." Arnold insisted as the two of them got up and ready. Arnold glanced over at Helga's wedding dress when he turned around to grab his clothes. "So, you told me the other girls ended up getting their dresses off the computer, but you never actually told me what they look like?"

As Helga finished putting on her shoes, she replied "Pheebs showed me they're pink carnation, sleeveless dresses. Kind of like the one I wore when we were kids. Except for that goofy red stripe that was on it. Then it has a bow wrapped around the middle of it."

Walking over to hug her, he said "Sounds like she knows you pretty well."

Helga's heart began to flutter, as she noticed how happy this made him. _In my wildest dreams, I never thought he would be as excited about marrying someone like me as I am about marrying someone like him! Ohhh_

Letting her go as he looked into what appeared to be frozen eyes, locked on him, he said "Let's go eat. We wouldn't want you to get another headache."

When he saw she wasn't moving, he took her hand to guide her down the stairs. As she began to move, she shook her head, snapping herself out of her daze. "Huh? Oh right."

Entering the dining room, they saw Phil with a box of cereal sitting on the table. "Cereal? Grandpa where is everybody?" Phil stirred his spoon through the bowl as he explained "Sorry shortman, but your parents got up early for another exhibit. Not sure when they'll be back."

Looking down at the table, he replied "Isn't grandma cooking?" Phil took a bite of his cereal, before answering the question. "She said something about going to raise the titanic. I preferred just to eat the cereal, than find out what that was all about."

As Arnold watched Helga raise part of her eyebrow at the remark he gave her a disappointed response. "I'm sorry Helga. Will this do?"

"Pttss...are you kidding? I practically grew up on this stuff. It's actually what I ended up eating for dinner every night thanks to Bob and Miriam not caring to make dinner." she replied.

While Arnold appreciated her grateful attitude, he still felt disappointed. "Don't worry, I'll take you somewhere special after school."

Shoving a spoon full into her mouth, she replied "Thanks, but I think Princess wants us to come over and start composing the day of the timeline. You know the cake-cut, first dance, crap like that."

Arnold frowned a bit at the response. He began to feel like too much pressure was being put on her. "What can I do to help out? He asked.

"Well, not that it's my place to decide, according to our 'wedding coordinator' but our planner says this month we need to book our florist. So if you and Geraldo want to swing by Ms. Vitello's place and make sure everything's still set for the wedding, that would be good." she suggested, pushing her bowl aside.

Arnold smiled as he took their bowls to the kitchen. "Sounds great."

She smirked at his comment, replying "Maybe you should be the bride! You seem to get excited about everything!"

Phil slapped his hand against the table as he laughed. "You better get used to it girly. This kid's got more optimism than his grandmother!"

"Great." Helga said wittingly.

As Arnold re-entered the dining room, the two grabbed their backpacks. "We'll see you later grandpa!"

"See ya, Shortman!" Phil yelled, waving his spoon in the air.

Making it outside, Arnold held Helga's hand, thinking about what the reception would be like. "So, did Rhonda say everything you would need to go over for the timeline this afternoon?"

Helga wasted no time pulling out her phone to show Arnold how paranoid Rhonda was. "Pttss...Look at all the 'Absolutely Necessary' things we need to have planned out by the end of the day!"...

Reception Time

Photos

Makeup and Hair

Ceremony Time

Family Photos

Locations

Reception Hours

Entrance

Toasts

Dances

Bouquet Toss

Last Dance

Arnold's eyes widened as he viewed the list. He didn't realize what a huge deal this was. "Well, at least we have a few of these things figured out already. Like we know the location of the wedding, and the time of the ceremony." he said optimistically.

"If you say so football head. Although something tells me by the time this day is over, I'll be reaching for the pain killers again!" she responded, placing her phone back into her pocket.

Just then, they made it to the bus stop. As usual, their two best friends were waiting to greet them. "Good morning Helga, how is your head doing?" Helga smiled as she replied "Much better. Arnold took care of me last night." she replied, patting him on the back. Phoebe smiled at her best friend's effort to let Arnold feel appreciated.

"Hey Arnold! Got anymore big wedding plans for today?" Gerald asked, already knowing the answer. "Well, I told Helga I'd stop by Mrs. Vitello's on the way home after school, just to make sure we're still on for the wedding. She and the other girls will be doing most of the work."

"Yeah, you got the easy part Geraldo!" Helga exclaimed as she showed Gerald the list of things Rhonda had prepared for them to do that afternoon.

"Mm.. ! Well you girls have fun!" Gerald said, nodding his head as the bus pulled up. The four of them sat in the back together as Arnold stretched his arm across Helga's shoulder. "What time do you think you'll be home?"

Shrugging her shoulders at him, she replied "Pttss...the heck if I know! She barely let me have a say in what went on at the engagement party. There's no telling how long her suggestions for this will take!"

Phoebe gave Helga a concerned look as she watched her friend review the list. "Don't worry Helga. Now that all the girls are aware of the event, we can have everyone over at Rhonda's after school to plan it out."

"Yeah, that way it won't just be her opinion vs. your's." Arnold agreed, rubbing her arm.

The bus then pulled up at the school and the guys held their girlfriends hands as they walked them off the bus to their classes. In the hall, Arnold couldn't help but ask Helga about her poetry assignment. "So, do you think you'll be making your dream topic what you told me about the other night?"

She looked up at him, with rosy cheeks. Before she could answer, they made it to her classroom. "Well, this is my stop Arnoldo!"

Giving her a quick kiss, he replied "Okay, see you at lunch."

In class, Helga thought about Arnold's question. She knew that would be what she made her poem about. What other life long dream had she had. Aside from some day becoming president. A life spent with him however was a bit more realistic. Not to mention just as pleasing.

"Okay class. You know this week's topic will be writing a poem about your lifelong dream. What is the idea of this thing being in your life so special, that it's kept you from forgetting about it?"

As Helga sat there thinking about this, she thought about how what made Arnold special to her was him being the first person to notice her. How could she forget about the one person in her life who's always managed to see past her rough exterior? The one person who always believed there was more to her than that, even before she admitted it.

Eventually the bell rang, and it was time for lunch. Helga ran into Rhonda on her way to the cafeteria. Hoping she wouldn't get caught, Rhonda was too quick for her. "Helga! Wait up!"

Slapping her face at the idea of having to deal with wedding planning before school was out, she turned around and said "Yeah, what is it Princess?"

"Arnold told me we should get Nadine, Sheena, and Lila to go over the timeline plans with us after school. I'll speak to the girls in the cafeteria. You and Phoebe can meet us outside after school." Rhonda explained excitedly as Helga rolled her eyes "Gee, sounds great." replying sarcastically.

The two then headed for the cafeteria. Before Helga could make it there, she was halted by Rhonda once more. "Oh, how could I forget!" Helga clenched her fists as she turned around and scowled "Crimenty what now?"

"I've got the wedding shower invitations! Although I must admit I still do not approve of the design you've chosen for them, I will be the one passing them out. Therefore, things should still go well!" Rhonda exclaimed as Helga sighed "Yeah, thank goodness we have you!"

"Well, we better get going!" Rhonda insisted as Helga headed in the opposite direction of the cafeteria. When she arrived, Arnold and their friends were already sitting at the table. "Hey, where were you?" he asked, looking concerned.

She sat with a defeated look on her face as she replied "Oh you know, just going over more fun wedding details 'With the Queen of Fashion.' Thank goodness we have her!" Helga said sarcastically.

Her friends couldn't help but smile at the remark as Gerald looked over at Rhonda passing out the invitations, taking a bite of his sandwich. "Something tells me that girl could quit school and apply for a job at Hillwood's Bridal if she wanted to."

Helga sat there, trying to take her mind off the wedding. She began thinking back to her poem. Was being with Arnold the only dream she ever had? She wanted more than anything to marry him, but what would they do after that? She didn't want to live in the boarding house with his eccentric family forever, and she certainly wasn't going to take him back to her house. What other options could there be at the moment without money? Even if they did wait a few years after they completed college to find a place of their own, where would they go from there? The last thing she wanted was to be a pathetic, drunk, housewife her mom had become. If they moved away, they would never see their friends again, however. Thoughts kept spinning through her head, until finally the bell rang.

As they were getting up, Arnold asked "Are you alright? You barely spoke a word during lunch." Looking into his eyes, she wanted to tell him how she felt. She couldn't imagine life without him, but at the same time, felt as though she was being held back. How could she say that however, if she didn't have plans for herself. College hadn't even begun.

"I'm okay, I've just got a lot on my mind." she said as she walked away. Arnold stood there a moment, wondering what she was hiding from him. Gerald came over after clearing his tray, as he said "Well, come on buddy. We have to get to class!"

After seeing what Helga was like at lunch, Arnold had a hard time too, not being quiet. Gerald tried snapping him out of it, but even his usual "Hey Arnold! Hey Arnold!" call, barely succeeded, until they made it to class.

Suddenly, they stopped in front of Calculus, and Arnold realized how quiet he had been. "Are you okay man? I'm used to your daydreaming, but that was just weird!" Gerald exclaimed as Arnold came into focus. "Yeah, I'm sorry Gerald. I was just wondering what had Helga so quiet in the cafeteria?" Arnold replied, as Gerald said. "Uh huh? Now you got me wondering what had you so quiet in the hallway?" Arnold rolled his eyes at the remark, as he responded "I'll see you after school."

Entering his class, his mind drifted away until the bell rang as usual. Thankfully, his teacher hardly ever noticed the dazed look upon his face in there.

When class ended, everyone headed for the front door of the school. Arnold wanted to find Helga and ask if she was okay. Sadly, he saw her already walking off with the other girls. Before he could even consider catching up to her, he felt a tap on his back. "Ready to go man?" he heard Gerald ask, as he turned around to face him.

"Yeah, let's go." Arnold said, with a sad look on his face. They began heading toward the flower shop, as Arnold continued looking at the ground. Gerald grew annoyed with his best friend's sorrowful attitude until finally, he said "Would you either cheer up, or just go talk to her?!"

Shooken up by Gerald's demands, Arnold replied "I can't just go interrupt their plans. I'll just have to wait until she gets home."

Gerald shook his head as the two entered the flower shop. Arnold began looking around for Mrs. Vitello as Gerald stood there remembering the time they had helped out. "Man, this place brings back memories." he said to himself.

As she came out of the back room, Arnold went over to the register. "Hi Mrs. Vitello, Helga asked me to come by to make sure you'll still be able to help out at the wedding."

Smiling at the younger boy, she replied. "Of course Arnold! I wouldn't miss it!" He waved goodbye as the two exited the shop. "Well that didn't take too long." Gerald pointed out as Arnold replied, "Nope, you want to come back to my place?" Backing away from him, he said "Thanks, but you seem to have a lot on your mind. I think I'll let you be alone with your thoughts for while." Arnold rolled his eyes as he said "Okay, see you tomorrow!"

Meanwhile, the girls had just made it to Rhonda's place, as they all took seats in the living room. Rhonda pulled out the sheet of tasks to complete researching for the afternoon from the wedding folder. "Okay girls, this information is exceedingly important, so we must go over every detail!" Rhonda said as Helga sat back on the couch with her arms crossed.

"Now, we've already decided the ceremony is at three. We've sent out phone calls confirming the information about the time, so we'll just have to work around that!"she continued as Helga muttered "How will we ever survive?"

"We've decided the location will be the same beach house Helga and Arnold visited during their spring break. Poor choice if you ask me, not trying something new, but suit yourself!" Rhonda mentioned as Helga rolled her eyes.

"I think it's just ever so sweet that they chose the same location. It brings back an oh so special memory for them!." Lila pointed out.

Rhonda shook her head as she continued "Now, I spoke with the hotel we chose for the out of town guests, Beach Blast. We can use their bar and music for part of the reception. Then, we'll have Mrs. Vitello, Mr. Green and Dino Spumoni set everything else up we'll be doing on the beach." she explained as Nadine asked, "Such as?"

"I thought we could save their last dance for Dino Spumoni on the beach. Actually, we could do everything out there that's meant for Helga and Arnold and save the bar for the guests." Rhonda explained as Phoebe looked at Helga, "What do you think of this plan Helga?"

Sitting up, Helga replied "Eh, works for me."

"What time will the reception be?" Sheena asked as Rhonda quickly replied, "The ceremony should only take an hour. We'll Start at four thirty, giving everyone time to get ready. You know, time to pick great seats for it!"

"How long do you think it will last until?" Nadine wondered, as Rhonda held her pen to her lip. "Well, I suppose we could end at eight thirty. Most receptions last about four hours."

"My Rhonda, you've certainly done your research!" Phoebe exclaimed as Lila replied "Yes, just ever so much!"

"Well, I AM the wedding planner!" she pointed out as Helga rolled her eyes.

"Now Sheena! You're job is helping Helga get ready. That means the moment we arrive, you will need to help her with her hair and makeup." Rhonda explained as Sheena smiled. "Sounds like fun!"

Helga thought to herself _I don't need help with any of this stuff! I'm not five for crying out loud!_

"Helga, how would you and Arnold like to make your grand entrance?" Rhonda asked as Helga replied "Gee, how about on a unicorn over a rainbow?"

Rhonda turned up her nose as she responded "Helga! This is important. Since it's on the beach, how about we lay out a pathway of seashells for you two to come across as you reenter from the ceremony?"

"That sounds just oh so perfect!" Lila commented.

Rhonda again looked at her list, as she explained "Then there are your photos. After your entrance, we can get those started. I trust Olga has it set up for you?"

Helga sighed as she looked at Rhonda. "She better, after the trauma she's put me through recently.

"We'll make the bouquet toss next! I'm not one to brag…" Rhonda began as Helga muttered "Of course you're not" as Rhonda continued "But I'm kind of an expert at these things."

 _I'll make sure to know where NOT to throw it_ Helga thought to herself.

"I believe the next thing that would be best is the toasts. We're all such good friends, it's going to be hard to decide who should and shouldn't give one." Rhonda pointed out.

"Why can't we all do one?" Nadine asked as Rhonda replied "You really want Stinky or Harold giving one? Can you imagine what they would say?"

"Perhaps one of our more verbally coordinated friends could stand up and give a speech written by all of us. Not so much word by word, but one that includes each of our personal opinions of our friendship with one another over the years?" Phoebe suggested as Lila replied "That sounds just oh too perfect!"

"Uhh fine! All that's left is the dances and the cake cut." Rhonda said looking down at the list.

"Eugene and I could bring in the cake after the toasts!" Sheena offered, as everyone looked at her.

"Uhhh no offense, but that might not be the best idea Sheena" Rhonda replied as Lila butted in. "I'm oh so certain I would be happy to help Sheena with the cake."

"Alright. Now we just need to work out the dances." Rhonda pointed out.

"I'm sure by then it will be near the end of the reception. Why don't we let Arnold and Helga have their last dance, then everyone else can stay for the music after they leave. Maybe even go to the hotel bar." Nadine suggested.

"Sounds good to me" Helga said, resting her head on the couch.

"Perfect! See you all at school tomorrow!" Rhonda replied as Helga and the rest of them anxiously left. When Phoebe saw Helga's gloomy look, she couldn't help but ask "Is something wrong Helga?"

"I've been thinking all day about this whole marriage thing Pheebs." Helga replied as Phoebe's eyes widened with fear. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, it's always been my dream to marry Arnold, but we're so young. What's going to happen after we get married? What are we going to do with the rest of our lives? I don't want to live at his place forever, and I don't have the money to move out. I haven't figured out what to do with my life. When I do, is being married at such a young age going to hold me back from that? When you get married, you have to start making big decisions for yourself...for your life! What if we're making a huge mistake?" Helga exclaimed as she and Phoebe stopped halfway down the sidewalk.

"Helga, I understand your concern. However, it can be looked at two ways. The fact that you are getting married at such a young age means you still have plenty of time to figure out what you want to do with your life. Not that it's holding you back from doing it. Most people don't graduate until their mid twenties, meaning you have plenty of time to figure out this information. Talk to Arnold tonight and ask him what his dreams are. Are they to stay here, move away, have a job that will take you all over the world? Whatever his desires are, I'm sure they involve you!" Phoebe assured her friend, as a weak smile came to Helga's face.

"Thanks Pheebs. I don't know where I'd be without you." Helga responded as the two continued walking home.

When Helga reached the boarding house, she headed straight upstairs to Arnold's room. There he was laying on his bed, staring at the clouds through his clear glass rooftop. He was in such deep thoughts, he didn't notice anyone come in, until he saw a face hovering over his head. He became so startled, he jumped back, nearly bumping heads with Helga. "Crimity football head! Watch what you're doing would ya?!" She exclaimed, as he sat up.

"I'm sorry Helga, I just didn't hear you come in. How did things go at Rhonda's?" he asked. She rolled her eyes at the question, replying "Not that I enjoyed myself, but we did get everything planned out."

Placing his hand on her shoulder, he replied "That's good to hear." He watched her staring down at her hands, twiddling her thumbs in her lap, until he asked "Is something wrong? You've been really quiet all day."

She sighed and looked over at him as she asked "Do you remembered this morning when you asked me what my dream poem would be about?"

He shrugged his shoulders as he replied "Yeah, I don't think you ever gave me an answer."

"Well, I sat there thinking about how my dream really has always been to be with you. Now here we are together. What's going to happen after that though? We're so young! We have the rest of our lives to live. If we get married now, what's going to happen afterwards? Are we still going to be able to accomplish everything we ever wanted to. To be honest, I don't even know what I want to do. I just don't want this to hold each other back from anything. Getting married is such a final move to make. It puts limitations on things. If I got a job far away, would you be willing to move? If you got accepted into a college I didn't, would I be willing to sacrifice the one I was accepted to? We almost had a kid! Imagine what that would have done!" she began to feel her heart pound, as he took her hand in both of his.

"Helga, I love you, and I would be willing to do anything for you! We haven't even started school yet. We don't have to know what our plans are now. We don't have a kid, so there's nothing stopping us from moving somewhere once we earn the money to do it. If I know you as well as I believe I do, something tells me you would end up picking a career in journalism. I understand if you're having doubts, and the points your making. All I can do is tell you it would break my heart to see you leave me and pray you never do. If you feel like I'm holding you back however, I'm not going to stop you. Like you said to me that night, you can't MAKE someone feel a certain way. I was willing to take you back to your family, because the last thing I wanted was to be responsible for your suffering. If that's the case here, All I can do is let you think for yourself about what your really want." Arnold said as he sadly let go of her hands.

She kissed him softly, being torn between the idea of what marriage at such a young age would do to their relationship, and what the torment of waiting for it to happen would do if she put it off.

"I guess I'm being a little paranoid. I know if we get married now, that doesn't mean our lives will be cemented the way they are. I do love you enough to move to any college you were accepted into. Ever since I was a kid, I've been making all sorts of sacrifices for you, just to see you smile. Even when I do fantasize about being someplace far away from here, you're always right there beside me." she replied as a smile formed on his face.

Suddenly a knock came to the door as they heard "Kids dinner's ready." Arnold looked at Helga as though a special moment had been ruined. While she looked at him and responded "I do have to admit, it's nice having someone to make dinner every night. I guess I should enjoy it as long as I can, because there's no way 'I'll' be the one doing that when we get hitched!"

"Whatever you say Helga." he sighed with an enormous amount of relief.

The two walked downstairs holding hands as Helga said to him "Getting a little handsy aren't we?"

Arnold squeezed her tighter as he replied "I've been talking about how excited I am as each month passes. All it does is make you more nervous. Which is starting to make ME more nervous. Not because I'm nervous about getting married, but because I'm petrified about losing you."

She saw the look of terror in his eyes, the heavy breathing in his chest, and realized he really would do anything for her. He did everything he could to help their friends when they were kids, which was something she had found to be one of his most admirable qualities. The way he always put others before himself.

"Hey kids, come eat! We made pot roast." Stella said, placing the food on the table. Arnold didn't want to let go of Helga's hand. He looked at the food in front of him, but couldn't stand the thought of replacing her with a fork.

Finally, he heard "You going to let me eat or what? Hair boy!"

Releasing her, he replied "Oh, sorry Helga." That didn't stop him from smiling at her the entire meal however.

Once dinner was finished, the two of them headed upstairs. Helga laid back on the bed with her arms spread out and her feet hanging off the edge. Her usual exhausted position. Arnold wanted to find something to talk about, but the last thing he wanted to bring up was her poem.

"So, Mrs. Vitello said she's still on for the wedding." scratching the back of his head, as he waited for a response from her. "Yeah, she seemed pretty excited about it, when we mentioned it to her." Helga pointed out.

As she began to close her eyes, her mind drifted away. She didn't notice him walking over to kiss her. Feeling his lips against hers, she wondered _What would it be like never having another moment like this ever again?_

Opening her eyes, he said to her, I'm no poet but I do know you're my reason to get up in the morning, and seeing your loving eyes each day brings more joy to mine.

Her heart began to flutter, as she rolled back her eyes and said "Ohhhh"

Taking her hand, he pulled her up and asked "Do you want to take a shower with me? I'll use a condom this time"

Her body began to tremble as she gave a weak smile at the last part of that comment. "Uhh...it's still a little early. Won't people see us?"

"My parents are in their room, the rest of the boarders won't care." he insisted as he helped her off the bed.

"Okay football head, but your grandpa better not see us this time! She warned him, as he took her downstairs. Going into the bathroom, Arnold couldn't help but get a little anxious after everything they had talked about. He was so quick to undress her, he completely forgot about turning on the hot water first.

"Sheesh football head, where's the fire?!" she exclaimed, as he grabbed her close to kiss her. The two stood there naked up against the wall, as she tried to ask, "Are you ever going to turn on the hot water? Or is drenching me in your spit your new way of taking a shower?"

"Oh right, umm sorry Helga." he said, scratching his head.

Waiting for the water to heat up, the two stood there eyeing each other. "Maybe we should have our wedding on the nude part of the beach?" Helga laughed as Arnold began to blush.

"Umm I don't know how many people would be willing to come to that?" he responded, as she rolled her eyes at him. "I'm sure Princess would love a chance to show off her body." Helga said wittingly as Arnold checked the temperature of the water.

"Feels warm enough." he said, stepping in, pulling her in behind him. Helga watched him stare at her, rather then grab the soap or shampoo. Finally, she had to ask "What are you doing?" He pulled her close against him, until at last he replied "Just enjoying the moment...enjoying you." She began to blush as he kissed her. Hot water pouring down their faces as his fingers ran across her back. Laying her down, he said "I would move anywhere, or do anything just to be with you!"

Sliding his member inside her, she laid down thinking to herself _Every time I've had the power to do something for myself in my life, it's been because I didn't have a choice. No one was ever there for me. I finally have someone who will not only always be there for me, but do what he can to make my dreams happen._

After the hot water ran out, the two of them dried off and threw their clothes back on. No one was in the hallways to seem them exiting the bathroom. As they entered Arnold's bedroom, the two of them grabbed their pajamas. "Fun having to dress in the bathroom, then undress in here, then re-dress into our pajamas, just so your family doesn't get suspicious, eh football head?"

"Yeah, I guess that is kind of strange." Arnold admitted as he slipped into his usual nightwear.

The two of them slid under the covers together, as Arnold wrapped his arm tight around her. "If you really care about me, you'll let me breathe a little football head." She insisted, as he loosened his grip.

Kissing her head, he replied, "I'm sorry. You just really scared me today." Shrugging her shoulders at him, she replied "Yeah, well now we're even." He kissed her lips as he grabbed his remote to turn out the lights. "Whatever you say Helga."


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32: As Long As You're There With Me

The next morning, Arnold awoke still not wanting to let go of Helga. He knew she had a lot of good points. They did have a lot to figure out in their lives, and getting married before doing so would put limits on quite a few things. Looking at her however, just the thought of losing her however crushed his soul.

"Helga, it's time to get up." he shook her, as she began to open her eyes. She kissed him on the cheek as she replied "Morning. Your pillow smells too good to leave." Continuing to look into her eyes, he replied "Does it actually smell better than me?" She smelled back and forth from his hair to his pillow until finally deciding "I can't tell, so I'll just stay here."

Before she could set her head back down, he pulled her up, saying "Whatever you say Helga."

After the two got dressed, they headed downstairs. "Not holding my hand today, football head?" she smirked as he rolled his eyes at her. "I thought I was making you uncomfortable?" he replied as she gave an offended look. "Helga G. Pataki does not get 'uncomfortable!" He glared at her as they walked down the hall and responded, "Oh right, she has no insecurities whatsoever. Happy to act all girly in public. No problem with announcing anything personal about herself that may go against the reputation she's built up since preschool?" he said wittingly as she clenched her fists. "Watch it Arnoldo! Or your face has a date with the bottom of the staircase!"

The two then entered the dining room as they saw french toast and pancakes. Helga sat beside Arnold as she replied "Yeah, when we get married, we're definitely hiring someone to cook and clean."

"So, what do you kids have planned for today?" Miles asked, as Arnold looked over at Helga, fixing her plate. "I guess it all depends on what Princess had planned for the afternoon."

"Sounds so far like you've gotten quite a bit of the wedding planning done. Keep it up!" Stella insisted as the kids finished up their meals.

"We should go, don't want to be late." Arnold said, grabbing Helga's hand as she set her fork down. The two made it outside as she replied "Sheesh Arnoldo, I barely got to finish my breakfast! What's your hurry?"

Rubbing the back of his neck, Arnold replied "I just know the wedding talk has been stressing you out, and I thought you could use a break from it."

"And you thought the solution to the problem would be taking me away from my meal? Yeah, this marriage will work out just great?" she replied crossing her arms.

Kissing her on the cheek, he replied "I'm sorry. I guess now I'm the one it's stressing out. Like you said, all you want is for us to be married and have it over."

Holding her hand against where his soft lips were, she responded "It will be, and we won't regret it."

The two of them then walked to the bus stop where they saw their friends waiting. "Hey Arnold! You two feeling better? You were both acting pretty weird yesterday." Gerald said as Phoebe nodded her head "I concur."

Holding Helga's hand, Arnold replied "Yeah, I think everything's okay now. These last few weeks have just been pretty stressful."

"You're telling me! Having to keep you together when you're like this man!" Gerald responded as Helga raised part of her eyebrow.

Suddenly the bus pulled up, and the kids stepped on.

The four of them took a seat in the back as Gerald asked "So, did you girls ever get the wedding timeline straightened out yesterday? No offense, but I think people are getting pretty sick of seeing Rhonda spreading the word about the wedding in the cafeteria."

"Well get used to it Geraldo. We got six more months of this!" Helga scoffed as Gerald shook his head. " .mmm. No wonder your minds are messed up!"

Helga took her hand back from Arnold, as she crossed her arms, leaning back in her seat. "Yeah well, it'll all be over soon." she muttered as Phoebe looked puzzled. "You know Gerald, planning a wedding can be quite stressful. It consumes much of the bride and groom's time, as well as causing them to have second thoughts about the decisions they've made. Therefore, it's best to give them as much support and encouragement through it as possible."

Helga sent a weak smile Phoebe's way as Arnold replied "Thanks Phoebe! We appreciate all you guys have done for us."

Soon the bus pulled up at the school, and the four friends headed to their first classes. Arnold was a bit nervous about what today's poetry hour would make Helga think about their relationship. Being the understanding person that he is however, he kissed her goodbye and said "Have a good morning. I'll see you at lunch."

Helga sat at her desk, waiting for class to start. _What am I going to make my poem about? My love life or my desired career...which would be what?_

"Good morning class! Your poems are due Friday, so I suggest you spend today picking your topic."

 _Maybe Arnold's right. Maybe journalism is what I'll end up doing? This is supposed to be a DREAM however, why couldn't I make it about being president?_

Helga's thoughts were soon interrupted by the bell. On her way into the cafeteria, she heard "Helga! Helga!" Turning around, she saw Arnold, sitting with their friends. "Huh? Oh sorry, I was thinking about my homework, and didn't realize how far I'd walked." she said, slowly taking a seat beside him.

No sooner had she sat down, Rhonda walked over. "Helga! I've printed out a sheet for everyone with the information we went over yesterday, and the order we'll be doing them in! Here is one for you and Arnold. Phoebe, I've also printed one for you and Gerald. You can go over them tonight with Arnold, and tomorrow, we'll work on the save the dates!"

"Thanks Rhonda. Arnold said, taking the paper from her." As she walked away, Gerald glanced at Phoebe's copy. " .mmm! Will you look at this thing?"...

Makeup and Hair - Time of arrival

Ceremony - 3:00

Reception - 4:30 - 8:30

Entrance - Pathway of Seashells

Photos - Fred's Photos

Bouquet - Pink Carnations

Toasts - One made by all the friends

Cake - Chocolate Mousse

Dances - Dino Spumoni

"She's done quite a professional job, you have to admit Gerald." Phoebe insisted as Gerald shook his head.

Glancing at his copy of it, Arnold asked "What do you think of it Helga?" Shrugging her shoulders, she reached for a sip of Arnold's drink as she replied "I guess it'll do."

Waiting for her to set down his soda, he gave her a short kiss. "So, we're just having one toast done? Because I'm pretty sure our family members will want to participate."

She scoffed as she replied "You mean YOUR family members, and we can have more than one. That comment is just referring to the one toast that will have something included by all our geek friends AKA Sid, Stinky, Eugene. Basically, anyone who wouldn't be able to give a decent speech themselves."

"Don't worry Helga, I'm sure Olga will have something to add to the toasts." Phoebe assured her as Arnold set the list down.

No sooner had he done that, the bell rang. Helga picked up the list, looking it over. "We can go over this thing tonight. Decide who to give the worst seats to." she smirked as Arnold rolled his eyes and said "Whatever you say Helga."

Arnold watched her walk away as Gerald called "Hey Arnold! Come one, you don't want to be late for class!"

Arnold ran to catch up as he heard Gerald say, "So, do I get your attention today, or are you going to zone out on me again?"

He sighed at his best friend as he replied "Don't worry, my mind's more at ease than it was yesterday."

"That's good to hear!" Gerald exclaimed as he set a hand on Arnold's shoulder. "So what turned out to be the problem with your lady?"

"I think she was having second thoughts about the wedding. The idea of getting married at such a young age made her worry about what we may be holding ourselves back from later in life." Arnold explained.

"Mm..mm..mmm! Well, I guess people do get cold feet. Did you fix everything?" Gerald asked.

"I think so. I'm trying not to make a big deal out of it, because I know the stress Rhonda has been putting on her with all this wedding planning doesn't exactly have her excited." Arnold pointed out as Gerald shook his head.

"Well, this is your stop buddy. Have a good day!" Gerald said, as the two did their secret handshake.

The last thing that would make Arnold's day good was his Calculus class, but it was one step closer to seeing Helga again. Counting down the minutes was like counting another step closer to her heart.

When the bell rang, he rushed outside to meet her. Happy that for once, he wouldn't have to wait until she was through with the girls to see her. As he opened the door to the school, he saw her waiting in her usual spot by the steps. Running up to her, he lost his balance on the steps and fell face first in front of her. "Whooaaa!"

Helga looked down at her beloved, who'd fallen in front of her. He didn't appear hurt, but she still found it awkward to have seen him in such a hurry. "Sheesh football head! Didn't anyone teach you how to use stairs?" she scowled, holding out a hand to help him up.

"Uhh sorry Helga. I just wanted to get to you before Rhonda could come up with a reason to steal you this afternoon." he admitted as he stood up, brushing himself off.

"Don't worry, I'm taking a break from her! It's just you and me checking out this checklist." she smiled at him with her hands on her hips.

"Great! Do you want to go to Slaucen's and look at it?" Arnold asked, anxiously. "Sounds good to me. Get the crappy taste of that cafeteria food out of my mouth!" she replied.

The two walked to the ice cream parlor hand in hand as Arnold asked "So, did the other girls seem pretty excited about the wedding?" Helga kept a half lidded gaze on her face as she replied. "Yep. We could have just sat back and asked them all to take care of this for us."

Arnold began to rub her hand as he responded "Then maybe Rhonda and Harold can have the wedding, and I will take you up on that nude beach offer."

Just then, they spotted Slaucen's across the street. As Arnold began to cross, he felt a tug on his arm. "Why did you stop?" Arnold asked. "You know the drill, you have to carry me!" she reminded him, as he gave her an absurd look. "I know for a fact you're not blind, and if you are, maybe we should just go home." Giving him an angry look, she pointed a finger in his face and scowled "Hey! It's the groom's job to carry the bride across the threshold. The least you can do to practice is carry your fiance across the street!" Rolling his eyes at her, he replied "Fine! But you're not riding on my shoulders this time." As she let him scoop her up in his arms, she wrapped her arms around his neck and replied "You're right. We'll save that for the honeymoon!" Rolling his eyes, he replied "Whatever you say Helga!"

Making it to the front door, Arnold set her down as it took him a moment to catch his breath. She patted him and insisted "That wasn't so bad now was it, football head?"

The two walked inside as Helga pulled the timeline out of her backpack. They took a seat at the counter while Arnold ordered them two extra large triple chocolate shakes with extra whipped cream.

"Well, unless you'd like to make any changes to this thing Arnoldo, I think Princess has this thing pretty much set up for us." Helga pointed out. Arnold took the sheet as he replied "What's this about seashells on the entrance?"

Taking a gulp of her milkshake, Helga replied "Apparently, we're supposed to make some fancy smancy pants entrance. I don't see why walking back out there isn't acceptable. According to Princess however, it's got to be something decorative and eye catching! Oh brother!"

"Sounds interesting. Maybe we could get some sandcastles built around the pathway?" he suggested, as Helga glared at him. "Arnold please. How many minutes to you think they would last before a bunch of toddlers came and smashed them to bits?!"

"Maybe you're right. Are you going to throw your bouquet, or just give it to Phoebe?" he asked as she stirred her shake with her straw. "I guess I could throw it. Princess went through all the trouble to set this up, why not throw her a bone?"

Seeing the wide grin that formed on her face, he turned his back to the paper. "Reading about the cake is making me miss the one that was on your face the other night." he replied as he watched her sip her shake. Letting go of her straw, she began to blush as he noticed part of her shake smudged on her lips. "Yea...that was good." She replied. Not taking his eyes off her mouth, he covered her lips with his. She felt a tingle against her cheek, as he made sure to wipe the chocolate off with his tongue. Removing his mouth, her face was pure red.

"Your face is pretty red now. Which reminds me, who's going to do your makeup?" He asked as she looked away.

"Pttss...Sheena. I'm sure all the girls will help, but that's one of the 'helpful' activities we gave her to do. Helga reminded him.

"Well, at least everyone wants to help. I guess we've got awhile before we have to start talking to everyone about the toasts." Arnold mentioned, still looking at the sheet, as Helga nearly finished her drink.

"Yeah, guess so. You heard from Dino about the music?" Helga asked.

"Not yet, I'll speak to him if we haven't heard anything within the next month or two." Arnold said, rubbing the back of his neck.

Pushing her cup aside Helga replied, "Well, unless you're the officiant, I don't think there's a whole lot left to discuss. What say we get out of here."

"Sounds good." he replied as he watched her hop off her stool and listened to her say "Be a sport and pick up the check would ya, Arnold?"

"If that day is really that memorable to you, perhaps we should make the tango our final wedding dance?" Arnold responded to Helga's witty remark.

Helga's eyes lit up as she placed her hand on the door. _Oh my beloved! What a tender heart you have. What a caring soul you possess. Merely even the thought of parting with you makes my skin crawl the way you did the night we shared that spontaneous event! OHHH_

Just then she felt a hand on her shoulder "Ready to go Helga?"

"What? Oh right." she said, snapping out of her daze. As the two left the parlor, Arnold was about to pick her up. "You don't have to do that Arnold. I will hold you up on that Tango offer however."

"Great. I won't have to worry about installing a pool underneath us since we'll be right beside the ocean!" he said as Helga glared at him. "Watch it football head!"

The two of them walked passed the park as Arnold grabbed her and said, "This would be a great spot to practice." Helga began to blush as she snapped "Practice? Helga G. Pataki doesn't need dance lessons!"

Arnold pulled her close with his left arm around her waist, and his right hand holding hers. "I don't know. You were clumsy enough to fall into a pool." he said dipping her.

Pulling her back up, she replied "I didn't fall in, you twirled me in. If anyone needs the dance practice, it's YOU Arnoldo!"

Gazing at her with half lidded eyes, he replied "What do you think I'm doing right now?" She gulped as their aggressive moves became more gentle. As he dipped her and leaned in, she thought to herself _Ohhh...my beloved, how I wish this moment could last forever!_

As their lips were about to meet, they heard "Snort"

The two of them looked over and saw Arnie.

"Arnie?! What are you doing here?" Arnold asked, lifting Helga up, as she stood there crossing her arms.

"Snort. It's game time. Snort. I'm taking a break from the laundry room." Arnie replied

"Oh brother!" Helga smacked her face, muttering to herself, as Arnold began to worry.

"That's uh nice Arnie. Helga and I have to get going. Have a good night." Arnold waved goodbye as Arnie stopped him. "Snort. Good night Helga. Snort. Come visit me."

Arnold squeezed her tight as she rolled her eyes and responded "Yeah, fat chance of that happening helicopter head!"

The two made it back to the boarding house as Helga saw Arnold hesitate to open the door all the way. "What's the matter football head? Haven't you gotten used to the animals yet?"

Looking at her with sad eyes, he replied "I'm really sorry about Arnie Helga! We were enjoying each other's company for the first time within the past several days it seems like, then he came and ruined the moment."

Helga looked at Arnold's sorry face as she said "Hey relax football head. There will be plenty of other moments like that one."

"Really?" he asked, surprised by her forgiving attitude.

She then leaned in to kiss him. Holding him against the door, he felt a tingling sensation run through his body. Feeling her warm breath against his, he heard her say, "How about we make 'this' our wedding dance?"

Pulling her in tighter, he forgot he had opened the door partially. The two of them fell on top of one another on the floor, just as the sea of animals was headed their way. Helga jumped up quicker than she did when she thought she saw Wheezin' Ed. Arnold simply rolled across the floor, knowing which way they would be running.

Helga quickly shut the door behind them after all the animals had run out. "Sheesh! You people should stick a 'Warning! Wild Animal Arlert!' Sign outside this dump!" she scowled, helping Arnold to his feet.

"Yeah, you're probably right." Arnold admitted, as he stood up, dusting himself off.

As they headed for the kitchen, it appeared to be empty. "Guess my parents are still on their exhibit. Which means my grandma probably made my grandpa watermelon for dinner. Which means we won't be seeing him the rest of the night."

"Pttss...oh brother!" Helga snarled

"Yeah, how about I make us some peanut butter sandwiches?" he suggested, as she sat down at the table. "As long as it doesn't have strawberries, I'll eat it."

Helga sat their watching her loved one make her dinner as she daydreamed of what their wedding dance would be like… as long as a certain someone didn't interrupt them again.

"Here you go Helga! When we get married and have our own place, I'll find someone to do the cooking for us. Maybe Arnie would like to?" Arnold said jokingly.

Helga glared at him as she replied "Do that, and you can break out the divorce papers now!"

Giving her a smile with half lidded eyes, he reached across the table to put his hand on hers. "I can barely stand the thought of him looking at you. What makes you think I would let him cook for you?"

Trying not to blush, she shrugged her shoulders as she finished her sandwich. "You got any milk to wash this down with?"

While he went to the fridge to pour her a glass, Helga continued to sit at the table, leaning back in the chair, licking the peanut butter off her fingers. When Arnold turned around to see her practically sucking her fingers, he handed her the glass and said "I'm sorry I don't have a bottle to put this in."

Snatching the glass, she scowled "What's that supposed to mean, football head?!" He scooted his chair close to her, as he replied "It means you look like a baby, sucking your fingers, begging for milk. Also that crossed arm, pout message you send out to people when they upset you adds quite a bit to the scenario." Arnold explained as he smiled, while her eyes grew with rage.

Leaning in his face, she scowled "Look here pal! If anyone's the baby around here, it's you! Mr. sensitive, goody two shoes!"

Moving their chairs together, he began to rub her thigh as he put his arm around her. "Would you want to have a baby one day? I know we almost did, but it would be different if we planned for it."

Her face turned pale as the rage left her eyes. Rather than waiting for a response, he kissed her trembling lips. "I know we're way too young for that. I'm just thinking ahead." he continued, as she began to open her mouth.

"I guess, maybe one day. When we have our own place, are through with school, and careers going for us." she replied as he kissed her again. Putting his hand behind her head, he pulled her in closer, as his other hand slid up her thigh and under her dress. Chills ran through her, as she sat there thinking about what it would be like for them to have a kid. Letting go of her tongue, he kept his nose against hers. "I think you'd be a great mom." he added as she continued to shake. Finally, she gather the strength to reply "Well doi!"

Seeing she was back to herself, he helped her up and said "Let's go upstairs. I'm sure you've got homework to do."

Opening the door to his bedroom, Helga wasted no time, grabbing her bag to sit on his bed with. Arnold took his over to his desk, while he began flipping through his Calculus notes. Helga pulled out a sheet of paper and a pen to work on her dream poem for the week. Her mind shot ideas back and forth…

 _A family with Arnold; Life in another city with Arnold; An amazing career with Arnold._

Arnold watched her tap her pen against her paper from across the room. Although the last thing he was was selfish, he couldn't help but hope her poem would include him...just to put his mind at ease.

 _Why do I love Arnold so much? Aside from his kind-hearted nature, optimism, and ability to put others ahead of himself… he's always been my inspiration. Inspired me to look for reasons to believe every dreadful situation has a ray of hope_. _Who could, let alone want to, spend their life without reason to believe something good must come out of everything?_

Helga thought this to herself as she began to think of a way to use this information for the answer to her next poem.

When Arnold had finished his studying, he saw Helga's pen flying across the page. _She must have found her inspiration._ He thought to himself.

My Arnold Fantasy

 _A family to start with thee._

 _Far off in another city._

 _What great new job awaits for me?_

 _By your side on this new journey._

Coming over to the bed, he saw her finishing up. As she began to put it away, he said "Don't I get to read it?" Rolling her eyes at his nosiness, she handed him the paper.

Looking up at her from the paper, he replied "You were right." She looked at him with confusion as she asked "About what?" Smiling as he set aside the paper, he replied "I am the baby; me and my sensitive attitude. This almost brought a tear to my eye."

She laid on top of him to kiss him, as he wrapped his arms around her. Hugging her tight, he added "I don't know how long it will take to make our dreams come true. All I know is, I always want you to be in them!"

Kissing him on the cheek, she replied "Speaking of dreams, I'm getting pretty tired. Let's get some shut eye!"

The two of them then changed into their usual night attire and slipped under the covers, side by side. "Good night Helga, sweet dreams."


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33: You Complete Me

The next morning, Arnold awoke to see Helga sleeping peacefully. _I wonder what her dreams are really about?_ He thought to himself, remembering her poem. Thinking this, he began to shake her shoulder, as he said "It's time to wake up!" After about four or five rough shakes, he was able to get her up.

The two then got up to get dressed. "What do you have planned with Rhonda today?" Arnold asked, looking over at Helga tying her shoes. "Eh, I think we're just doing the save the date cards." Helga said, shrugging her shoulders. "Seems a little early when we JUST passed out the wedding shower invites, but she's the so called wedding coordinator."

"Yeah, well it'll be good for everyone to have the information written down. I mean, we've called them, but you know how irresponsible some of them can be." Arnold reminded her, rubbing his neck.

The two went downstairs for breakfast, where they saw Arnold's parents making scrambled eggs, toast and sausage. "Hey mom and dad, how was the exhibit?!" Arnold asked, as he and Helga took a seat at the table.

"Fantastic sweetie. The rainforest exhibit now has some of the animals from San Lorenzo!" Stella informed him, as his eyes lit up.

"That's amazing!" Arnold replied, as Helga dug into her plate.

"Sorry we left you guys cereal yesterday. We were just in a hurry." Miles added, looking at Helga.

"Don't worry I'm used to it." She replied, not looking up from her plate.

Feeling guilty, Stella tried changing the subject. "So, what wedding planning do you two have in store for today?"

"I think Helga and Rhonda are sending out the save the dates." Arnold pointed out, as she continued to scarf down her plate.

"Time is going so fast!" Miles replied as Helga pushed aside her food. "Speaking of time, we need to go before we miss the bus Arnoldo!"

As the two walked outside, Arnold took Helga's hand. Looking over at her, he couldn't help but say "I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable last night, Helga." Raising part of her eyebrow in confusion, she replied "What do you mean football head?"

Letting out a deep sigh, he responded "When we were in the kitchen. I don't know if a family is something you really want, but I could tell I made you uncomfortable the way I was talking about it."

"Arnold, we're getting married. That's the kind of thing couples discuss. It doesn't matter how it made me feel. Eventually, we'll have to know this stuff about each other." she replied as she began to rub his hand with her thumb.

The two made it to the bus stop to see their best friends waiting for them. "Hey Arnold! You two get those plans straightened out?" Gerald asked.

"Uhh yeah, I think everything's coming along fine." Arnold insisted as he looked over at Helga.

"Good morning Helga! Are you ready to start your save the dates with Rhonda this afternoon?" Phoebe asked anxiously. Helga put her hand on her hip, as she rolled her eyes and angrily replied "Pttss….do I have a choice?"

The bus then pulled up, and the four friends grabbed a seat in the back. Arnold felt a sense of both relief and anxiety. Relief Helga had decided what to do about her poem. Not to mention her desires involved him. Anxious however, that he would have to continue the school year wondering if the class would fill her mind with questioning thoughts about their future together.

"So, what'd you two end up doing last night?" Gerald asked, crossing his legs, turning to look at his friends in the seat behind him.

Before Arnold could respond, Helga jumped in with "Well for starters, we ran into Arnoldo's lame-o cousin Arnie!"

Gerald shook his head in regret as he replied " .mmm. Man, are you SURE you want that guy at your wedding? I mean he's just going to be the wet blanket! Not to mention, he'll be in your wedding photos!"

Arnold sighed leaning forward in his seat, "I know Gerald. Like I said though, I didn't invite him, my parents did."

"I feel for ya buddy. I really do." Gerald said, shaking his head.

The four of them got off the bus and walked to their classes. Arnold held Helga's hand, thinking to himself _I wish I could give her the dream life she deserves._

When the two were standing outside her poetry class, Arnold leaned in to kiss her. Helga gasped as she felt his lips touch hers. "What's wrong?" Arnold asked, feeling concerned. "I don't know. I just had a strange feeling?" she replied. Before they had time to discuss it, the bell rang.

Helga walked to her seat thinking to herself _What was that strange feeling when Arnold kissed me?_

"Hello class!" The teacher said, entering the room.

"I trust you've all been working on your dream poems. Something to think about with this one would be 'What would it be like to have your dreams shattered? Help prove to yourself how much something means to you by picturing your life without it."

As the teacher said this, Helga sat there thinking to herself...

 _I've done that with Arnold. Every time I think about what could happen if we went our separate ways, I think about what would be missing from my life. Who would I share my success with? Where would my success come from? How can I say he's holding me back from my dreams when he's been the inspiration behind them?_

Helga felt herself begin to feel dizzy. It was as if being stuck in the classroom away from Arnold, not allowed to run to him, was what her life would be like if she didn't go through with her marriage. Anyone could take him before she could get to him if she didn't take advantage of the opportunity. After thinking about the conflictions she felt between her relationship and career desires, being on opposite sides of the school made Helga feel as though she and Arnold were on opposite sides of the planet.

When lunch came, she sprinted for the cafeteria. Nothing could stop her until…"Helga!" Halting, nearly tripping over her feet, she recognized the voice and said "Crimity!" Turning around, Rhonda stood ready to ask about her and Arnold's thoughts about the timeline. "So, what did Arnold think of the timeline Helga?"

Clenching her fists, Helga replied "Look Princess, I don't have time for a bunch of wedding crap. I'll see you at your place after school."

Rhonda crossed her arms as she saw Helga run off without hearing her out. "Well, how rude!"

Back in the cafeteria, Arnold was sitting at the table with Gerald and Phoebe. "Hey Arnold! You okay man?" Gerald asked, as he watched Arnold lean against the table resting his head in his hand, making circles with his other finger.

"I'm just wondering what's on Helga's mind." Arnold responded as his friends looked at him.

"Did something happen between the two of you?" Phoebe asked, as she looked at him concerned.

Arnold lifted his head from his hand as he let out a sigh. "I thought everything was okay. Then when I took her to class, I kissed her goodbye. She gasped when I did and said she had a weird feeling?" he explained as Gerald saw her approaching.

"You mean, kind of like the weird facial expression she's wearing right now?" Gerald said wittingly, as Arnold turned to see her gasping.

"Helga! Are you okay?" he exclaimed, as she placed a hand on her shoulder. Partially to hold herself up, mostly to imply her anxiety to reach him.

"I'm...I'm..fine. Come with...me. Please." she asked, trying to catch her breath.

Arnold immediately grabbed his bag and followed her. Gerald and Phoebe remained seated, shrugging their shoulders at one another.

"Helga you should slow down! You look like you're about to hyperventilate!" Arnold insisted as she tried pulling him to the top of the stairs. When he saw her about to fall over, he made her sit. "Helga! Stop! Just sit here with me a moment!"

She leaned her head against his shoulder as the two sat on the floor, Arnold waited to ask what she was so concerned about until he could hear her breathing slow down. As he rubbed her face, she looked up at him, feeling as though she had caught her breath.

"What was that all about?" he asked, hoping not to get her worked up again.

Rather than beginning to explain, she grabbed him and began to kiss him passionately. Holding his face tight, he wondered _What could have happened earlier?_

Taking her hands in his, he pushed her back a bit and asked "What's going on?" Seeing her lips tremble, he watched as she began to explain. "I..I..was sitting in class this morning." she gulped as Arnold sighed inside. Already knowing her teacher must have said something to make her rethink her feelings.

"My teacher said to figure out how much our dream means to us, we should picture our life without it." She began as Arnold kept eye contact with her, hoping she was going where he believed she was.

"When I tried picturing my life without you, I grew dizzy. Just sitting in our morning classes, began to feel like the world was intentionally keeping us apart." she gripped his shirt tight as he watched the nervous look in her eyes.

He began to rub her leg to comfort her, as he replied "I told you I would go anywhere or do anything with you to make you happy. You don't have to choose between your dreams and me!" he insisted as she rested her head against his chest, still holding his shirt tight.

Although he hated seeing her so shook up, Arnold felt quite a bit of relief knowing how much he meant to her.

Once she had finally caught her breath, her grip loosened on his shirt. She looked into his eyes and said, "I'm really sorry. I don't mean to get so worked up about everything."

Kissing her softly, he replied "You don't have to apologize for being passionate. It's your most admirable quality."

She pulled his face in to kiss him, while he wrapped his arms around her body. As his arms slid up her sides, he remembered they were sitting on the floor in the hallway. Pulling away from her, he watched the confused look in her eyes, as he asked "So, did you ever figure out what caused that weird feeling when I kissed you this morning?"

She pulled him back in to kiss him. He felt the same force behind it that came with the kiss they shared their first night on the roof of the FTi building. Not releasing her lips from his, she laid him down. Tension filled his mind, wondering who might see them.

Placing his hands on her shoulders, she began to moan. Opening her eyes, she realized how carried away she had gotten. She then stood up, helping him off the floor and replied "I guess my subconscious realized before I did, how terrible it would feel to lose you."

Arnold felt his heart flutter. Before he could say a word, the bell rang. "Come on, I'll walk you to your next class." he replied, taking her hand.

"What about Geraldo? Won't he get jealous." Helga said, placing a hand on her hip, raising part of her eyebrow.

"I want to make sure you're okay. You nearly passed out!" Arnold exclaimed, leading her down the hallway. Her face would have turned red from embarrassment, had it not already been red from exhaustion. When they made it to her last class, Arnold kissed her softly, seeing she was still inhaling heavy every other second. "I'll see you after school. Have a good time with the girls." he insisted, not expecting a positive remark from her. Being too tired to come up with a witty remark about why enjoying time with Rhonda would be the worst idea on the planet, Helga simply replied "Thanks Arnold."

After watching her walk in, he headed for his Calculus class. Surprisingly enough, wasn't hard for him to pay attention to today. The relief of knowing how incomplete Helga felt her life would be without him, made space in his mind for new information.

Once class ended, the kids all raced for the doors. As Arnold made it outside, he was about to text Helga to see if she was feeling okay. Once he looked down at his phone however, he bumped into someone. "Ouch! Oh sorry Gerald." Arnold said, looking up at his concerned friend.

"Hey man, why didn't you ever come back for lunch? What did Helga need you for that was so important?" Gerald asked impatiently.

Arnold put his phone away, trusting Helga would be okay with the girls. "Well, she has a poem to hand in this week."

"Uh huh… and she went to YOU for help?" Gerald said, with his hands on his hips.

"No, she didn't need my help with anything, when she came to get me." Arnold corrected him, as Gerald shrugged his shoulders.

"Then what did she need you for, that was so important, you never came back?" Gerald wondered. Arnold stood there thinking to himself _We're about to start college, why does he need someone to walk down the hall with him?_

"Her new poem this week is about dreams. What has always been your biggest dream in life. When we were kids, it was to marry me. Now here we are, about to go through with it, and she asked earlier this week, what's going to happen after? Career wise, college, kids, traveling. Will getting married this early ruin any of THOSE dreams? In a way, she had a point. Marriage does put limitations on things, depending on the time of your life it happens, and the things you and your partner are hoping will happen IN your life." Arnold said, as he began thinking this outloud.

"So, she came to tell you, she's backing out?" Gerald asked, letting go of his annoyance.

"No, she actually came to tell me how petrifying the thought of losing me was. Earlier she had been thinking about how far back marriage would be holding both of us from THESE dreams. Then today she said she thought about how I've been her inspiration behind all of them. If she was to leave me for any of them, how successful would she be?" Arnold continued to explain as Gerald just shook his head.

" .mmm! Well, you don't have to worry about her getting cold feet anymore!" Gerald said, as Arnold looked down.

"I guess not. I just feel like every time I tell her she's free to do what she wants, along with my support, it puts more pressure on her. Maybe she just can't stand the idea of hurting me, anymore than I can her. I wish we had the money to move somewhere, or at least out of the boarding house. It would be a start to her dreams." Arnold said, as Gerald put an arm around him.

"That girl DOES know if she becomes president, or any part of the United States congress, half the country will be leaving?" Gerald asked, as Arnold rolled his eyes.

Meanwhile, Helga and Phoebe were at Rhonda's, looking over the save the date cards. Sitting beside one another on the couch, they watched Rhonda overview the information and design for them on the computer.

"Now, we don't want to repeat the same font for anything, we'll use the next favored one from the list." Rhonda suggested.

Helga muttered to herself as she replied "It better not be that Cowboy crap."

"The next best, in my opinion, it the Sverige Script. Not to mention, it IS at the top of the list." Rhonda pointed out.

Phoebe straightened her glasses as she replied "That sounds like a reasonable choice. What do you think Helga?"

Rolling her eyes, Helga leaned back, crossing her arms. "Yeah, yeah. What's next."

"All we need to do now, is add the information onto the page with it. The confirmed time, date, and location of the wedding. Along with the people the wedding is for. Personally, I don't know why they don't include the maid of honor on these things, but whatever." Rhonda explained as Helga muttered "Yeah, who'd want to leave that out?"

"Well, I'll have these here and ready to pass out tomorrow. Normally I'd charge you for the rushed delivery, but I'm your wedding coordinator, so I'll let this one go!" Rhonda pointed out, as Helga slapped her face with her hand.

The girls got off the couch as Phoebe then said, "Is that all you have for us today Rhonda?"

Holding her finger up to her face, she replied, "I suppose so. Tomorrow we'll work on reserving structural electoral necessities."

Helga stood there as she muttered, "I'm not even going to bother asking what that is."

The two then left as they headed back to their homes.

"Are you at all excited about your wedding Helga?" Phoebe asked, as she saw Helga walking with her hands in her pockets.

"I want more than anything to marry Arnold, Pheebs. You know that. We're just so young. All I can do is hope we're not making a mistake. I want us to be able to accomplish everything we'd ever hoped for ourselves without standing in the way of each other first." she replied, looking at the ground.

Phoebe frowned as she asked, "Well, what is it you want?"

"I don't exactly know. I want to write, but I don't want to be accepted into a college he can't go to. I want to move out, but we don't have the money. Would one of our careers forcing us to move, make us resent the other? He's been my inspiration behind all of these things. The reason I have to believe there's a light at the end of my life's dark tunnel. I don't know what I would do without him, but I also don't want marriage to be the end of our life's journey." she responded as Phoebe was beginning to see her point.

"I'm sure Arnold would do anything for you, Helga! He's not a selfish person. What makes him happy is seeing other people happy. Which explains why he was always able to put our classes needs ahead of his own when we were kids. I see you're beginning to feel the same guilt he would feel if he held you back from any happiness you may be able to be capable of finding without the other one. Perhaps you two are more alike than you realized." Phoebe explained as she smiled at Helga.

"Thanks Pheebs." Helga replied as she looked up at her best friend, placing her arm around her.

Eventually, she made it to the boarding house, and came in to find Miles cooking with Stella. "Oh Helga, we were just thinking about you!" Stella said, as Helga entered the kitchen.

"Hey, where's Arnold?" she asked.

"He's upstairs in his room." Miles replied. Helga began to turn around, but stopped before leaving. She stood there a moment to watch what a fun time the two were having cooking together. Just being at home, enjoying each other's company. How incomplete would her life be, if she didn't have someone to share her success with at the end of the day?

Helga went upstairs to find Arnold at his computer. He was so interested in the information he was reading, he didn't notice her entering. Suddenly, he felt a pair of arms wrapped around his neck, as he turned around to see Helga's smiling face in front of his. "Helga, you're home!"

She kissed him, holding his head, nearly sending the two of them over his chair. When she let go, she asked "What are you working on?"

"Places to live when we graduate. I haven't spoken with Dr. Bliss yet, but if she knows of a place I could work, hopefully it won't take long to find an apartment. I'm sure by the time we finish college, we could move somewhere better. At least, have an idea of where we would like to." Arnold suggested, as Helga looked at him with loving eyes.

 _Oh my love, so wise and wonderful. Always putting another's happiness ahead of your own. What have I, or anyone for that matter, done to deserve your giving nature? The way you see your loved one's problems as your own. The way you struggle to make things right. The way you won't allow yourself to rest until happiness and peace has been restored to this delicate world once again!_

"So, what do you think?" he asked, as he saw the dazed look in her eyes; knowing where her mind must be.

"Huh? Oh, sounds great! I mean, whatever floats your boat football head." she said, hoping he wouldn't get wise to her.

After that, he logged off the website to follow her over to the bed. Sitting beside her, he held her hand and said "You know, we've been together long enough for me to know when you space out like that, you're daydreaming about the two of us." He said with half lidded eyes, as she stared at him wide eyed. "I..I..don't know what you're talking about?" she said, looking the other way.

Turning her face towards his, he leaned in a little closer. "So this is how it's going to be? When we're married, every time you're thinking about something, you're not going to tell me what it is. You're just going to wait for me to figure it out on my own?" he said, as he fell on top of her.

She gulped nervously, as she replied "Uhh… maybe."

Kissing her passionately, he ran his fingers through her hair. A chill ran through her body, as she wondered to herself _Why DO I get so embarrassed to share my thoughts with him? I mean, like he said, we're getting married for crying out loud!_

Slipping his hands under her shirt, sucking her tongue harder, she thought _Because I still can't believe someone as amazing as this would be with someone like me!_

Putting his hand behind her back, he pushed himself against her. Thinking to himself _What am I doing to make her so afraid to open up to me? Am I not good enough for her?_

A moment later, he let her go. As she suddenly felt him stop, she asked "What's wrong?" Looking at her with sad eyes, he replied "I feel like there's something you're not telling me. When we were kids, I can understand why you wouldn't tell me what was on your mind. I don't see any reason why you have to hesitate to do it now though?"

She looked at him with wide eyes as she gulped. "I..I..just don't feel like I deserve you is all."

Looking back at her, he raised an eyebrow as he replied "What are you talking about?"

She looked away as she sighed. "I've always been so mean to you. Don't you think I would find it a bit awkward to share my intimate feelings about you after the way I've treated you over the years?"

Turning her face towards him, he replied "Helga, I already know about your insecurities, and what's underneath your rough exterior. I understand you're always going to have a hard time showing that to other people. I just don't understand why you can't be open with ME...when we're alone? If you think I'd judge you for it, you don't know me too well."

She immediately pushed him off of her, with an angry look. "What do you know! The whole reason I daydream about you is because I know EVERYTHING about you! I know you're the kindest, most caring, self-less person on the whole freakin' planet! You're everything I'm not! You're everything that's always been missing in my life! You're the reason I can't leave this hell hole the second we graduate that pathetic excuse for a school! Your blind optimism is what balances my pessimistic behavior! Your caring nature is what gives me a reason to believe there's more to life than a bunch of saps who deserve to have their faces beaten in! Your selflessness is what inspires me to show people when I can, there's more to me than just a couple of fists. Don't you DARE sit there and tell me I don't know anything about you, when you've been the center of my attention. The cause of my inspiration my whole freakin' life!" Helga exclaimed as she jumped off the bed, pointing a finger in his face. Arnold watched the anger in her eyes. Her face turning red as his eyes widened with fear.

"I'm sorry Helga. I didn't mean to accuse you like that. If you think I'm that great though, don't you think I'd treat someone like you just as kindly as I do everyone else?" he said as Helga set her finger down. She sat beside him, letting out a deep sigh. Folding her hands in her lap, Arnold wrapped his arms around her. "I'm sorry, sometimes it just feels better keeping things to myself. Not all people are as open as you are Arnold." Helga explained as he nodded his head. "Yeah, I guess I can understand that."

Just then they heard a knock on the door. "Kids, dinner is ready!" Stella said, as Arnold shouted "We'll be right there."

Helga sighed as Arnold helped her off the bed. "You don't have to share everything with me if you don't want to. I just hope you know I would never judge you for it." Arnold said as he kissed her on the cheek. Helga stood there a moment, thinking to herself _Crimenty, what's wrong with me? I can spill my guts to him when he pisses me off, but not my deepest affections when he touches my heart._

The two sat down at the dinner table as they watched Arnold's parents place chili on the table. "That chili doesn't have raspberries in it, does it?" Phil asked suspiciously as Stella replied "Nope, dig in!"

"So kids, how was school?" Miles asked anxiously, as Helga blushed thinking about what happened during lunch.

"It was fine. Nothing big happened." Arnold pointed out, while Phil continued to check the chili for raspberries.

"I think it's safe dad. I cooked it with them." Miles assured him as Phil replied "You never know in this house. What Pookey might slip into something!"

Once dinner was finished, the kids headed back upstairs. Arnold watched Helga lay down on the bed, sighing to herself. He walked over to her, as he sat down beside her. Picking up her engaged hand, he replied "I'm really sorry Helga. I just wanted us to be honest with each other. I guess you've already told me all the important stuff though."

She began to sit up, as she looked into his guilty eyes. "Pttss...you really want to know what I'm thinking about when I space out like that? I just screamed it at you twenty minutes ago. Whenever you do something kind, caring, or optimistic, I think about how admirable it is. It brings out my poetic side. Without someone like you in my life, that side of me probably wouldn't exist! All I'm doing is reciting a freakin' monologue in my head that I'd be writing down if I had a book in my hand. Sheesh!"

He laid down with her as he put his arm behind her neck, still holding her engaged hand with his other. Looking into her eyes, he said "I'm sorry. I'm glad I could do that for you, and I'm sorry if I keep ruining it for you." She rolled her eyes at his guilt, but his eyes didn't leave her face. When she came back to look at him, he had moved in an inch. "I kind of ruined the moment earlier overthinking things." he whispered, as she glared "Doi!"

Pressing his lips against hers, she lifted her leg up over his. Rubbing their parts together, it was only a matter of minutes before she was on top of him and they were no longer holding hands. He held her thighs to press her harder against him, as she began to moan. "Maybe I should take my pants off, before it, you know…" he suggested as she rolled her eyes. "Fine, before you wet yourself."

The two of them undressed as he went to grab a condom. Coming back to the bed, he thought to himself _Just six more months!_

Laying her down, he spread her legs as she asked "What are you smiling at, football head?" He grinned widely as he replied, "Now I get to point something at you."

She began to blush as he fell on top of her. Seeing his half lidded emerald eyes, running her fingers through his cornflower hair, feeling his smooth skin, all made her heart pound as it was in the halls at H.S. 118 with him. Was the look in his innocent eyes, the gentle touch of his hand, the sweet scent of his hair, all she needed to inspire her throughout life? As he pressed harder, she breathed heavier. Shutting her eyes with exhaustion as he began wrapping his arms behind her back to pull her in tighter. Her arms were spread across the bed, squeezing the covers tight as he continued moving. His mind was focused on pleasuring her, while her mind was simply on him...

 _Arnold my love, laying on me ever so gracefully! Oh how your mesmerizing eyes entrance me. My harsh side falls to bits as your loving nature approaches me. You comfort me, complete me! You see through my dominance; are the cause of my passion. Only your gentle touch can turn my aggressive behavior into a vulnerable nature._

"You complete me as well." he said, as she immediately opened her eyes. "Huh? What?!" she gasped, still breathing heavily.

Arnold let go of her back, as he laid her down and rested a moment. "You may not have meant to, but you just said your monologue about me out loud." he smiled, as he folded his arms on her chest, gazing into her eyes. Her face was bright red, and not just from their love making.

"I..I'm..sorry Arnold. Normally I'd come up with some sort of crazy excuse. I don't think there is one for that though." she admitted, as the two of them both began to feel her body tremble.

"Why would I WANT there to be an excuse? These are the types of feelings I want you to be comfortable sharing with me. Not just when we're making love, but all day every day." he explained as her eyes watered and her lips began to tremble.

"Okay...I'll keep trying." she said softly, as he pressed his lips against hers. Slowly pulling them off, he replied "We should get some sleep." The two then got under the covers, feeling hot enough to sleep in their underwear. Arnold hugged her tight, stroking her hair as she rested her head against his chest. The two fell asleep, once again feeling more open with each other.


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34: What's On Your Mind?

The next morning, the two awoke, Arnold still holding his love in his arms. As he felt her softly breathing against his chest, he wondered how irresponsible it would be to skip school. Then he thought about how irritated Rhonda would be if Helga wasn't there to keep their wedding planning schedule on track.

"It's time to wake up Helga." he whispered, as he kissed her head. She began to open her eyes as he stroked her hair.

"Good morning." she said, as she looked up smiling at him.

"How did you sleep?" he wondered, as her smile grew bigger. "I had another married dream about us." she grinned.

His eyes grew as wide as her smile, as he began to sit up. "I want to hear about it, but we're already running behind schedule. You'll have to be sure to tell me after school." he winked at her.

The two of them got up and dressed as Arnold asked, "What did you say you will be going over with Rhonda today?"

Helga sighed thinking about the work as she replied "We'll be going over the structural electoral necessities for the wedding. You know, booking portable toilets and chairs since the wedding is an outdoor event."

"Sounds like a good idea." Arnold nodded as Helga replied "Yeah. If Princess is as organized as she says, she'll have the save the dates here today and ready to pass out tomorrow."

Arnold walked over to hug his fiance as he thought about how close their discussion last night made them feel. "I love you so much." he whispered in her ear.

"Not as much as I love you!" she began to blush heavily, thinking about how easily she had just said that. Hopefully, it would get easier and easier for her.

The two of them went downstairs to see eggs, bacon and toast waiting for them. "Hey grandpa!" Arnold waved as he and Helga took a seat at the table.

"Hey shortman! What are your plans for the day?" Phil asked as Helga raised an eyebrow, thinking to herself _Uhh school? What else?_

"Just school for me. Then Helga is going to Rhonda's to work on some more wedding plans." he explained as Phil poked at his eggs. "You two really seem to be making a big deal out of this. Back in my day, you just slapped a ring on your mate, ate some cake, and that was it! You kids today are all fancy with your invitations, pictures, and parties!" Phil explained as Helga muttered to herself "Ya got that right!"

"Yeah, anyway. We better get going. Thanks for breakfast." Arnold waved as he lead Helga out the door.

The two of them held hands down the street as Arnold began to blush, wondering if Helga was thinking up another poem about him. After hearing her monologue last night, it was going to be hard for him not to wonder about that every time she was quiet after hearing what she said last night.

"Why is your face so red?" she asked, looking over at him.

Rubbing the back of his neck, he replied "Oh, I was just thinking about last night. It's kind of funny how you went from screaming your emotions at me to poetically reciting them for me."

"Pttss...don't get so excited! The only reason that happened was because you...uh...well…?" she began as he grinned widely, interrupting. "Pleasured you uncontrollably."

He finished, not being able to help kissing her on the cheek. The two of them then made it to the but stop, where they found their two friends. "Good morning Helga. Are you ready for today's afternoon wedding planning session with Rhonda?" Phoebe asked as Helga was still feeling the warmth from Arnold's soft lips on her cheek.

"I guess so. It's going to happen one way or another." Helga admitted to herself, as they saw the bus pull up.

The four of them took a seat in the back, as Arnold thought to himself _I wonder what Helga's dream was about?_ Not hearing Gerald calling him…

"Arnold? Arnold? Hey Arnold!"

"Huh? Oh, sorry Gerald!" he replied, snapping out of his trance.

"Man, what is with you? Is this how you're going to be at the wedding?" Gerald asked, as he began to blush.

"Uhh I don't think so?" Arnold began to rub the back of his neck as Helga sat up straight "You better not be football head! I'm not going to be seen marrying a man who doesn't find me interesting enough to keep his attention for one freakin' hour!

The bus eventually pulled up at the school as the four of them exited. Arnold walked Helga to her class, wondering if their close encounter from the previous night would do anything to influence what went on in there. "See you at lunch." Arnold said happily, kissing her goodbye.

As Helga walked into class, seeing Amanda talking to the teacher. Ignoring the troublemaker, she took a seat at her desk. Helga was about to go into her usual daydreaming trance when she felt a tap on her shoulder. Snapping out of it, she saw Amanda standing beside her. "Hello Helga." Amanda said as Helga glared "What do you want?"

"Lila warned me to stay away from Arnold. After hearing how much he means to you, I feel just ever so awful!" Amanda said, as Helga rolled her eyes. "Gee, it's as if no one did anything to imply to you before, how he and I felt about each other?"

"I'm just ever so sorry Helga. I'll do my best to fight temptation." Amanda said as she winked, walking away from Helga. Helga clenched her pencil inside of her fist, nearly breaking it.

"Alright class, the end of the week is approaching! Does everyone know their topics?" the teacher asked as Amanda raised her hand. "I'm writing my dream paper about an oh so wonderful boy I'd love to spend my life with!"

Hearing this lit a fire inside Helga that took all her strength to keep hidden. The thought of not doing anything with her life was depressing. The thought of someone stealing Arnold was unbearable!

For the rest of the class period, Helga was unable to take her vengeful eyes off the culprit. When the bell finally rang, she was tempted to go give Amanda a piece of her mind. Before she could stop her in the hall however, Helga was stopped by Rhonda.

"Helga! Good news! The invitations should be at my place by the time you and Phoebe arrive this afternoon. We can look over the necessities together, then pass out the save the date invites at lunch tomorrow!" Rhonda explained as Helga rolled her eyes. "Gee that sounds super!" Helga said sarcastically, dropping her shoulders.

By the time Rhonda left, Helga decided to forget about Amanda, and head for the cafeteria. There she saw Arnold sitting with their friends. Sitting down beside him, she asked "Hey football head, how's it going?" He looked over to see her sitting back in her chair with her arms crossed. "Uhh pretty good. Is everything okay?" Shrugging her shoulders at him, she replied "Ms Perfect's cousin is writing a poem about you. Guess I'm not the only one inspired by good hearted, weird headed guys."

Gerald raised an eyebrow at the conversation as Phoebe interrupted. "Well, Arnold will always remain faithful to you Helga. Just like you would never leave Arnold for Arnie." she reminded Helga, as the thought made Helga shiver. "I'd rather have a root canal!"

Hearing that once again was like music to Arnold's ears. The more he heard how repulsed Helga was by his cousin, the happier it made him. He wrapped his arm around her, as she laid her head on his shoulder. "I'm sure the teacher will love your poem much more than hers." Arnold assured Helga, as he began to rub her shoulder. She shut her eyes, getting lost in his warmth.

Eventually, the bell rang and Helga regrettably had to take her head off of Arnold. As she turned to see his half lidded eyes, he did not hesitate to kiss her. That was all she needed to wake up. "I'll see you after your meeting with the girls." he said, helping her out of her seat.

When the two went their separate ways, Gerald didn't hesitate to ask Arnold why he'd been acting so funny/ "Hey Arnold, what's up with you? First you space out on the bus, then you spend your entire lunch period staring at Helga on your shoulder. Like she needed supervision?"

"Oh, sorry. It's just…" Arnold began, not knowing how to explain things to Gerald.

"Just what?" Gerald asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, you know Helga's always been poetic." Arnold reminded his friend, as a funny expression came to Gerald's face. "She has?"

"Anyway...last night when we were just um doing stuff." Arnold started, rubbing his neck, as Gerald folded his arms "Uh huh?"

"She ended up reciting a poem about me." Arnold replied as Gerald didn't seem amused.

"Okay, why is that such a big deal if you already knew she was interested in that stuff?" Gerald asked, waiting for Arnold's response. "Because even though she knows I know how she feels about me, it's still not easy to get her to show it. Then when we were, you know, last night, she was so distracted, she didn't realize she said everything she was thinking about me out loud." Arnold replied as Gerald tried not to laugh.

"Gerald! It's not funny!" Arnold exclaimed, as his friend tried to calm down.

"Okay, okay I'm sorry man. Look it's no big deal. What are you worried about? Gerald wondered, still not sure what Arnold's problem was.

"I'm not worried about anything. It just makes me think about how great she thinks I am. Like I have expectations to live up to if I want to keep her in my life." Arnold sighed as Gerald looked at him with wide eyes.

"Expectations? Arnold, this is Helga. Helga G. Pataki! If anything, it should be the other way around, as far as expectations go!" Gerald insisted as Arnold rolled his eyes.

"I guess. I just want her to have a great life. At some point the optimistic attitude I have, she seems to be so inspired by, isn't going to be enough for her. I've got to think of something to do for her." Arnold insisted as they approached his class.

"Whatever you say Arnold." Gerald replied as they did their secret handshake.

Arnold sat in class wondering what he could do for Helga. If they were going to go through with being married this early in their lives, he had to do something to show her their cemented relationship would not put limitations on the freedom of their lives.

When class ended, Arnold headed home as Helga met Phoebe outside for the walk to Rhonda's house.

Making it home, Arnold went straight upstairs thinking about what it was about himself exactly that someone like Helga found to be so irresistible. There were plenty of nice people in the world. What made him stand out? One thing was for sure, if he wanted to keep her, he couldn't just take advantage of the situation.

Meanwhile, Helga and Phoebe were just making it to Rhonda's. "I hate knocking on her door. It's like knocking on the gates of hell." Helga scowled.

Phoebe gave her friend a sympathetic look as they heard the door open. "Helga! Phoebe! Thank goodness you're here! We've got a huge problem!" Rhonda exclaimed as the girls walked in.

Phoebe sat by the computer, expecting to help with a financial crisis. Helga took a seat on the couch, knowing it wasn't a matter worth being concerned about. "What seems to be the problem Rhonda?" Phoebe asked, fixing her glasses.

"Just look at the chairs in these pictures! The only options they give us are brown metal, or black cushioned?!" Rhonda exclaimed, as Helga slapped her face.

"What does it matter? A chair's a chair!" Helga exclaimed, as Rhonda placed her hands on her hips.

"Helga Pataki! As your wedding coordinator I must point out, black is NOT an acceptable color for a wedding!" Rhonda pointed out as Helga rolled her eyes. "So, just get the brown ones?"

"Umm Hello! Just look at how rustic they are? Clearly used!" Rhonda exclaimed as Phoebe looked at the pictures.

"Well Rhonda, as long as no one is WEARING black at the wedding, the chairs shouldn't be too big a concern. We would want our guests to be comfortable more than we would impressed by the appearance of the event." Phoebe suggested, hoping it would help.

Rhonda pointed her nose as she said, "Uhh fine! We'll reserve the black cushioned chairs. Although just saying that sentence makes by skin crawl."

Helga leaned further back on the couch, wishing she and Arnold could just elope and be done with it all.

"Now, we need to reserve the port-a-potties. I personally would just prefer walking to a sterilized hotel. However, some of the less civilized guests may want to use these." Rhonda explained as Phoebe watched her reserve them.

 _She better not be concerned about the appearance of these_ Helga thought to herself.

A moment or two later, the girls had the items reserved, as they heard Rhonda say. "Well ladies, I have the save the date invites on the table by the front door. Once I deliver them tomorrow, we'll be all caught up for the month!"

"That sounds wonderful Rhonda." Phoebe admitted as Helga stood up from the couch. "Yeah, well let's get going Pheebs. I've got better things to do than stare at chairs and toilets."

"See you tomorrow Rhonda." Phoebe waved, as she and Helga left the house.

Bye the time Helga made it to the boarding house, she was so emotionally exhausted, she didn't care if the animals knocked her down when the door was opened. Somehow, she managed to avoid that incident, despite not moving out of their way.

When she went upstairs, she saw Arnold lying peacefully on the bed. Rather than disturbing him, she decided to lay down beside him. The moment she laid her head down, Arnold opened his eyes. "Helga?" he said softly, not positive if she had just gotten there.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you." she replied, as he kissed her passionately. "I'm glad you did." he replied, looking at her with half lidded eyes.

Watching her give him a weak smile, he added "You never got a chance to tell me what your dream was about."

A loving look then formed in her eyes, as she moved closer to hug him. "Well…"

 _Arnold: Can you believe we're graduating today?_

 _Helga: No, I'm not ready to leave everybody!_

Arnold continued to listen, wondering where this was going…

 _Arnold: I don't want you to leave either._

 _Helga: Maybe I'm making a mistake?_

 _Arnold: No. Your dream is to be a writer. You need to go to a school that can help with that. You deserve it!_

 _Helga: What about you?_

 _Arnold: I'll be okay. I'll major in psychology here like you suggested._

 _Helga: What am I supposed to do without you?_

 _Arnold: You don't need me to be happy in life._

 _Later that afternoon…_

 _Arnold: I can't believe high school is over!_

 _Helga: Seems like just yesterday I was throwing spitballs at the back of your head!_

 _Arnold: Yeah, well I guess you should get packing._

 _Helga: I guess._

 _That evening_

 _Arnold: Well, we're at the bus stop. You better get on before they leave without you._

 _Helga: Harold's not with me. I don't think that'll happen._

 _Arnold: Well, take care of yourself._

 _Back at the boarding house_

 _Phil: Hey shortman_

 _Arnold: Hey grandpa_

 _Phil: Someone's upstairs for you_

 _Bedroom_

 _Arnold: Helga?!_

 _Helga: Hey Arnold_

 _Arnold: What are you doing here? Why aren't you going to college?_

 _Helga: Arnold, I can go to college, write, find a job anywhere. This is the only place I can be with you._

By that point his eyes were nearly watering. "Sheesh football head! Don't get all…." Before she could finish her usual witty remark about him, he pulled her close to kiss her passionately. During each day, confusing thoughts filled both their heads about whether or not they were ruining the other person's future by trying to start a life together this early. Every time they held each other, feeling the other's warm skin, the softness of their lips, the comfort of their presence, they were reminded of the terrible hole that would be left in their hearts if one of them was to leave the other.

Once again sucking her tongue, running his hands along her sides, sent a tingling sensation throughout her body she could never imagine losing. Feeling his hands shake, she asked "Is everything okay?"

Looking at her, he replied "The end of that dream just overwhelmed me with relief! But, didn't you say it was a marriage dream?"

Smiling at him, she responded "That wasn't the end. You just started a waterworks show before I could continue."

Realizing she was right, he let her continue, not releasing his grip on her.

 _One year later_

 _Arnold: I'm home sweetie!_

 _Helga: I'm in the kitchen honey!_

 _Arnold: How was your day?_

 _Helga: I was given an internship for the Hillwood Newspaper_

 _Arnold: That's amazing!_

 _Helga: How was your day?_

 _Arnold: I'm enjoying work with Dr. Bliss. Once college is over, she may even know of a job I could apply for._

 _Helga: That's great! I'll have dinner ready soon._

 _Arnold: Thanks. I love our new apartment, by the way!_

 _Helga: We should have a housewarming party._

Arnold pulled her closer, not realizing how tight his grip was. Helga knew as long as she had his attention with her story like this, he would never pay attention to how much pressure he was putting on her.

 _Three years later_

 _Congratulations on your new baby Dr. Shortman!_

 _Arnold: Thank you! My wife should be home with him now. I'll be back tomorrow morning._

 _Back at home_

 _Arnold: Sweetie I'm home!_

 _Helga: We're in the living room._

 _Arnold: He's so sweet. He has your blue eyes._

 _Helga: And your cornflower hair._

 _Arnold: Have you called any friends from work?_

 _Helga: Practically everyone at Hillwood News Center knows!_

 _Arnold: Now our son can be on the news!_

Pulling her closer to kiss her forcefully, she let out a moan. "That was amazing, and I'm not just talking about the kiss." he winked. Rolling her eyes at his nervousness, she replied "Don't worry. If I risked my life when we were kids for you, I don't think I would live my life as an adult without you."

Kissing her once more, he couldn't shake the thought of having to do something wonderful for her...even if he knew she wouldn't leave him.

"I'll be right back." he said, jumping off the bed, as he left her laying there.

He went downstairs to the kitchen, assuming there would still be some chocolate chip cookies on the table his parents had made earlier. His face fell with disappointment when he saw they had all been eaten. _Maybe I could make her some._

Arnold pulled out all the ingredients he knew his grandma used when she made her 'safari cookies.' After noticing he had been gone awhile, Helga went down to the kitchen. "What are you doing football head?" she asked curiously.

"Making you some cookies. I came down to get some of the ones my parents made earlier, but it looks like Mr. Kakoshka might have eaten them all already." Arnold replied.

Helga stood there, as she thought about when she had seen his parents cooking together. Now here the two of them were making cookies together, only a few months away from being a married couple. The first of many household activities they would do as a couple.

Walking in she replied "I guess your family doesn't buy ready made cookie mix?"

"My family doesn't mind cooking." Arnold said blushing, as she rolled her eyes. "I've noticed. They're nothing like my family!"

Putting his arm around her, he replied "Neither are you." The two made their cookies, and eagerly awaited for them to bake. As they sat down at the table together, Arnold thought about the way eating dessert always turned out for him and Helga. "Are you going to need me to wipe your face for you again?" Arnold asked, as she replied "Shut up football head!"

Reaching for her hand, he added "It's good practice for when you eat the wedding cake." She gulped at the sound of that, watching him gaze into her eyes. The two began to lean in, ignoring the sweet aroma of the cookies they had baked together. When their lips were about to meet, they heard "BEEP!"

"They're ready!" Arnold exclaimed, as he went to grab them from the oven. Helga continued sitting at the table, as she smirked, "I notice THIS alarm doesn't shout anyone's name to grab their attention."

He smiled, walking over to the table with their cookies. As she took a bit out of one, he stopped and said, "I hope those weren't strawberries I saw mixed in with the chocolate chips? Now that I think about it, the bag did look kind of red." Seeing her nearly spit one out, he began to laugh uncontrollably and replied "I'm just messing with you."

Seeing her stand to point a finger in his face, she scowled "You're dead football head!" Still red from laughter, he couldn't help but add "You mean, like you almost were?"

She took a seat, having to admit to herself he got her. "Shut up Arnoldo!" As the two of them began to eat in silence, Helga eventually asked "So, do you have any health weaknesses I could use against you in marriage? Ya know… just for fun." she asked, winking at him.

Arnold sat their holding a cookie, as he thought about it. "Umm not that I know of?"

"Pttss...of course not! You're perfect." Helga sneered, as she continued to stare at the last cookie on her plate.

Arnold frowned at her, as he couldn't help but respond "I know you think I'm a good person Helga, and I appreciate that. I'm flattered you find such simple qualities of mine to be as inspirational to you as you say they are. I'm not perfect though. Nobody is! You have inspirational qualities just like everybody else. You're loyal, brave, smart, creative, and when you want to be, you're a very giving person."

She looked up at him, noticing him looking down at his empty plate. Before he could say anything else about her, he looked up to see her handing him her last cookie.

"I told you." he said sweetly, as he took it from her smiling. She rolled her eyes, smirking "Yeah, it was a one time thing." Finishing it, he replied "I'm pretty sure I've heard that before."

After finishing their cookies, he took their plates to the sink. Helping her up, she noticed him staring at her. "Let me guess, I've got some chocolate smudged on my face." she scowled, with her hand on her hip.

He held her face as he smiled with half lidded eyes and said "Yeah, let me take care of that for you." Dropping her hand from her hip, she stood there, letting him lick her face clean, thinking to herself _Just being a housewife wouldn't be so bad if this is how every night ended._

The two then went upstairs to get some rest, as Helga laid her head on Arnold's shoulder. "I wonder what kind of dream I'll have about us tonight?" she whispered. Rubbing her shoulder as they walked down the hallway, he replied "I can't think of a better one for you to have."


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35: Time To Think

The next morning, the two of them awoke, knowing it was Helga's day to turn in her dream poem. Arnold saw her resting peacefully facing him, with her hands beside her face. Looking at her ring, made him feel like the luckiest guy in the world. "Hey Helga! It's time to wake up. You don't want to be late for your poetry class."

Hearing those words, she immediately sat up, being reminded of the poem she had to turn in. The two of them stretched their arms and stood up to get dressed. "Well, I guess Rhonda will be passing out the save the date invites at lunch today?" Arnold brought up.

Tying her shoes, Helga replied "She better be! The way she's been bragging about the quickness of their delivery. Sheesh!"

The two then went downstairs, wondering what would be sitting on the breakfast table for them that morning. "So football heat, what kind of breakfast do you think your safari granny made us today?" she asked, bumping his arm with her elbow.

He scratched his head, thinking to himself. "Uhh you never know with her." he replied as she shook her head at him. "Oh brother!"

The two made it downstairs to see sausage biscuits and hash browns on the table. "Wow grandpa! Grandma never makes these?" Arnold exclaimed, as Phil replied.

"Well, don't thank that old coot. Thank your parents!" Phil insisted as Helga grabbed herself a biscuit.

"Where are they?" he asked, thinking about how he hadn't taken the time to see them last night.

"They're still in the kitchen. Better get in there before Pookey starts her safari rendition!" Phil warned him, as Arnold jumped up from his chair. "I'll be right back Helga." Arnold promised, as she continued holding her biscuit.

Phil eyed the hungry girl, thinking about how much she reminded him of Pookey at her age. Looking at her brought back so many memories, by the time she had finished her breakfast, he couldn't help but laugh a little. Taking a sip of her orange juice, Helga set down the glass and said "What are you looking at gramps?"

"Ohhh cranky little thing aren't we?" Phil said, winking at her, as she crossed her arms. "Only when I have people staring while I'm eating!" she scowled.

Through messing with her, he asked "So, the wedding's not too far off! You and Arnold picked your honeymoon spot yet?" Phil winked as she began to blush. "Uhhh…"

Just then, Arnold walked in. "Sorry about that Helga. I don't want us to be late, so I can just take this biscuit with me. Let's get going." He insisted, helping her out of her seat.

Normally the two would have held hands on the way to the bus stop, but Arnold was too focused on finishing his biscuit before making it there. He was licking his fingers just as they made it to the stop. However, instead of seeing their friends waiting for them, they saw them entering the bus.

"The freakin' things about to leave without us!" Helga scowled, as she grabbed his arm, yanking him over to the bus. They made it just in time. Although it wasn't far they had to run, Helga felt her heart pounding from fear. When Arnold saw the look of terror in her eyes as they entered the bus, he decided just to sit her down up front. "Are you okay?" he asked, rubbing her hand. "Yeah, sorry about that. I just didn't want to be late to hand in my poem." she replied as he put his arm around her shoulder. "Even if you were, I'm sure you'd still get an A on it." he said, trying to comfort her. Looking at him with annoyance, she scowled "News flash Arnoldo, teachers can deduct points for tardiness! Even when they don't, it won't keep them from passing out those 'oh so wonderful' detention slips!"

Raising an eyebrow at her, he laughed "Wow! The Helga G. Pataki I knew never would have cared about something as stupid as staying late after school." She glared at him, bubbling with rage. "Oh what do you know, Arnoldo! We're not dumb kids who can get away with that kind of crap anymore! We've reached the point where if we want our lives to matter, we can't make stupid slip ups like that!"

His smile dropped as his eyes filled with sorrow. "What do you mean, 'If we want our lives to matter?'" he couldn't help but notice her say. Realizing she may not have worded that right, she replied "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get so dramatic about something as stupid as being a few minutes late. I know we're still young and the decisions we make for ourselves now won't be the ones we have to keep forever."

He gulped as he heard her sigh. "Does that mean you wouldn't want ME in your life forever?" She immediately turned to him as her eyes lit with fear. "Why would you ever think that?" He couldn't help but become angry as he replied "Because you can't seem to decide how much I mean to you? Before we were engaged, you said you loved me, but obviously not enough to show it to other people. Now here we are engaged, not afraid to show other people, but you're making me wonder if I'm holding you back from everything else in your life. Things you may not have noticed meant something to you until AFTER you had me. I think until you figure that out, we should spend the rest of the day apart." Arnold insisted as the bus pulled up at the school.

"Arnold wait!" she exclaimed, but wasn't able to make him listen.

The two of them got off the bus, going their separate ways, as they entered the school. Helga walked down the hall to her class, not feeling the warm touch of her fiance's presence on her hand. Rather, the cold absence of him in her heart. Quite similar to what she felt in grade school. As she entered the class, she didn't even care to remember Amanda was also writing a poem about Arnold. "Who would like to go first in presenting their's" the teacher asked anxiously, as Amanda's hand shot instantly in the air.

"I would just ever so much!" Amanda exclaimed as the teacher motioned her to come forward. "I've chosen to write about my dream love, Arnold!" Amanda announced as Helga did her best to bottle up her rage. This too brought back memories from grade school. Only now she wasn't plotting schemes to destroy this girl's happiness.

 _D is for dedicated to me_

 _R is for resides in me_

 _E is for encourages me_

 _A is for always with me_

 _M is for the perfect match for me_

"Wonderful the teacher said!" as Amanda took her seat. Once the poems were finished, the bell rang and the students headed to lunch. Helga walked down the hall, surprised not to be stopped by Rhonda. Instead, she entered the cafeteria to find her already passing them out. _I guess she does deserve a paycheck for staying on top of things...she's not getting it from me though!_

Just then, she felt a hand on her shoulder. "Phoebe?" Helga turned to see in surprise. "Let's go sit together Helga. Arnold and Gerald are having a private conversation." Helga smiled weakly at her best friend as she replied "Works for me."

The two took a seat on the opposite side of the cafeteria from the boys. "Gerald and I noticed on the bus, something wasn't right between the two of you this morning. Although I suspected as much when you didn't sit with us." Phoebe explained, as Helga frowned.

"Well, I overreacted a bit about nearly missing the bus. Then it turned into me pouring my heart out about how the decisions we're making now could affect the rest of our lives." Helga began to explain.

"That is very true Helga." Phoebe supported her as her friend sighed.

"Yeah, but the way I worded it made it sound as though I may be making a huge mistake marrying him. At least, this early in life. Like he may be holding me back from accomplishing things. He's always been my biggest dream. Then that stupid poem got inside my head and made me feel like there could be more to life. Then other people got even further inside my head and made me feel like being tied down this early could prevent me from accomplishing whatever those things are!" Helga exclaimed, nearly jumping out of her seat.

Understanding the pain her friend was feeling, Phoebe replied "You don't have to listen to other people Helga. Did you have further plans for yourself before this week?"

"No, not that I know of. I mean, writing has always been an interest of mine, but I always thought realistically. Even if I was capable of accomplishing some unbelievable government job, what good would it do me if I didn't have someone to share my happiness with? Helga sighed as Phoebe smiled "Precisely."

"I've just been able to see it both ways though. Even if I accomplished my life long dream of marrying the love of my life, would I not still resent the fact I could have done more if I had just held off a while longer?" Helga countered as Phoebe patiently suggested "You don't have to get married right away Helga."

"What if someone steals him from me Pheebs! I can't let that happen! People move on with their lives when they've waited too long for something to happen! I can't just keep him waiting! That's the whole reason he's not having lunch with me right now. Because I've kept him waiting to see what my true feelings are about him. He's such a patient person, but this situation does require me knowing ahead of schedule what we're doing!" Helga exclaimed. By that point, she was out of her seat with her hands in the air. Only a few people in the cafeteria had bothered to turn their heads to notice.

"I understand Helga, but if you're marrying someone you have to believe that person would be willing to do anything for you. If you wanted to move away after you were married, do you believe Arnold would be willing to do it? If you were accepted into two different colleges, do you believe he would let you be the one to make the decision? If you needed to move out, do you believe Arnold would work as hard as he could to make it happen as quickly as possible? Not to mention, you're implying he would be more of a problem to your happiness than a solution for it." Phoebe explained as Helga's eyes began to widen.

"Also, consider this. This entire time, you've been worried about what Arnold would be willing to do and give up for you. Marriage is a two way deal. If you're not willing to make sacrifices for him, then perhaps this isn't the best idea." Phoebe pointed out as Helga sat with her head in her hands, and her elbows on the table.

"You're right Phoebe. All I did when we were kids was make sacrifices for him without letting anyone know about it. Now that everyone knows about my feelings, I have the perfect opportunity to show everyone how much he's always meant to me. All I'm doing now is thinking about why I NEED him in my life, rather than why I want him. I'm just being selfish." Helga realized as Phoebed patted her on the back. A moment later, the bell rang and the kids all headed for class.

Helga then saw Arnold walking off with Gerald to Calculus. She was tempted to follow him, but thought to herself _I'm sure he has things to think about as well. I won't bother him._

By the end of the day, the kids were all ready to leave school. Phoebe met Helga outside, feeling she would need a friend to comfort her. "Would you like to come over for a bit Helga?" Looking at her friend with sad eyes, she replied "Thanks, but I think I'm just going to take a walk in the park. You know, clear my head a bit."

Phoebe nodded as Arnold exited the school at that moment. He noticed Helga heading in the opposite direction of the boarding house, but wasn't with the girls. _I wonder where she's going? She didn't mention anything about wedding planning with Rhonda today?_

When Helga made it to the park, she did a usual stroll around once or twice, like she would have done with Arnold. Eventually, she sat down on the bench in front of the tree she climbed when she had been eavesdropping on him and Lila in fourth grade. While sitting and thinking to herself, she heard a noise "Snort. Hi Helga!"

Helga turned to once again see Arnie following her. "Oh brother! What are you? Some kind of lost puppy?" she exclaimed.

"Snort. Are you going to come to H.H.S. with me?" he asked, as she turned to leave.

"Snort. You know, they have fun things to do there." he stopped her as she turned to scowl. "You mean like counting and cleaning?!"

"Snort. No, like writing and managing groups." she lifted an eyebrow as he continued "Snort. The managing group is in charge of the laundry room. Snort. It's good practice for them."

Helga stopped to think to herself _Maybe if I spend the night away from Arnold, just seeing how it feels to experience my dreams without him, I'll know if he really is what matters most in my life!_

Grunting at him, she sighed "Alright helicopter head, let's go."

After they left, Arnold fell out of the tree Helga had stalked him from. Turned out he had been following her, ever since the two of them left school.

 _I can't believe she's going with him! What have I done?!_ He thought to himself, as he stood there wondering _Should I get her back, or let her see how she feels after spending the night with him?_ After thinking to himself a moment, Arnold decided to just walk home. His head hanging low, with his hands in his pockets.

Making it back to the boarding house, he headed straight for his room, not caring to greet anyone. Plopping down on his bed with his pillow on his face, he thought to himself _Everything is such a mess! I know we're meant to be together! She's not holding me back from anything, and I'd be willing to do anything for her. What could the problem be?_

Arnold then got up to grab his phone…

"Hello"

"Hey Gerald, it's Arnold."

"Hey Arnold, you and Helga fix things."

"Actually, I was hoping you could come over, so we could talk about that."

"I'm on my way, buddy!"

Arnold sighed as he set his phone down, waiting for his friend to arrive.

Meanwhile, Arnie had just arrived with Helga at the H.H.S. Trying to take Helga's hand, she snatched it from him, placing it on her hips as she sneered "Man, what a dump!"

"Snort. Let's go inside. Snort. I'll show you the writing class." Arnie replied as she rolled her eyes _This better be worth it!_

As she walked in, she heard various voices screaming from down the hallways. "Sheesh! What was that about?" Arnie looked back at her, as he replied "Snort. They're serving pizza in the cafeteria." Helga smacked her head as she scowled "Crimenty!"

When Arnie showed her the writing class, he replied "Snort. I'll be in the laundry room." She rolled her eyes as she sneered "Yeah, big shocker."

She took a seat near the back as she saw everyone writing beside her. Not caring about interrupting their work, she nudged the student beside her and asked "So, what are we writing about in here."

The boy looked up at her as he replied "It doesn't matter, we're just doing it for fun. I'm writing about what I see myself doing in ten years."

She rolled her eyes at his response as she replied "Let me guess, playing board games and eating pizza?"

He gave her a questioning look as he responded "No? Becoming a pilot, so I can fly anywhere I'd like to. I'd travel all across the country, seeing places I've always dreamed of. Not until I was married however. It wouldn't be much fun alone."

The boy reminded her of Arnold. Not just because of his blonde hair and green eyes, but because of his willingness to put off his desires until he found the right person to share them with. Arnold was a much more patient person than she was.

Helga sat there tapping her pencil against the desk. _Where do I see myself? Even if I end up with a great job, creative words aren't flowing out of me to express the passion I would feel if something so great were to happen. Am I just having a bad moment or is my inspiration really missing?_

About an hour later, Helga noticed a near empty classroom and what continued to be a blank sheet of paper in front of her. _Crimety this is hopeless!_

"Would you like to go to my management group?" the boy asked as she continued tapping her pencil.

"What are you managing, the laundry room?" Helga couldn't help but smirk.

"They really just give us random topics to practice leading the class with. For instance, if we were to pull cooking out of the topic jar, that person would have to practice managing such a class." the boy explained, as Helga shrugged her shoulders. "Eh...beats staring at this blank sheet."

The two began walking to the class as Helga couldn't help but ask, "By the way, what's your name?" Giving her a weak smile, he replied "Jason."

Helga noticed Arnie out of the corner of her eye as the walked further down the hall. It was then she began to rush towards the class. "Why are you in such a hurry?" Jason asked. "That creepy kid is stalking me!" she explained, as Jason turned to look at Arnie. "Oh yeah, everyone here has noticed he doesn't seem to be 'all there.'" Jason admitted as Helga smirked "Ya got that right!"

The two then made it to the class, as Helga took a seat next to Jason. "So, where's this jar we pull topics from?" Helga asked as Jason pointed to it. The two of them went over to pull their topics. When Helga opened her's, she read 'President." She couldn't believe it. Was it just a coincidence, or did it actually mean something. "We always let the new people go first." Jason said, interrupting her thoughts.

"Huh? Oh, umm what exactly do I do?" Helga asked, not sure how to start. Placing his hand on her shoulder, he pointed "Just go up to the front and imagine you are in charge of whatever environment your job belongs to. Give the class assignments or even orders to follow." Jason explained.

Helga walked to the front of the class, shaking with anxiety. She loved more than anything to give orders to people. What was her motivation behind it however? She always had an aggressive attitude, but what was the cause of it? What was the reason behind her forceful behavior? What good would being a leader to anyone do if she never found the answer to this?

As Helga walked to the front of the class, she stood there trying to think of what to give orders about. "I..I.." She stood there feeling sweat pour down her face. There was nothing she hated more than feeling vulnerable in public. With Arnold, it was different. He brought a sense of comfort to her, that didn't come with a handful of judgement. Now here she was, feeling powerless with a room full of eyes watching her. Each pair was like a set of verbal daggers in her reputation.

Helga then ran out of the room as Jason followed her. "Are you going to be okay?" Jason asked, as he saw her breathing heavily against the wall in the hallway.

"I'm fine. I just need to get some rest." she replied, trying to hide her insecurity.

Meanwhile, Arnold had been talking to Gerald in his room.

"So, you actually saw her walking off with Arnie?" Gerald asked, getting his facts straight.

"Yeah, he said he was taking her back to the shelter to show her the writing and management activities they have there." Arnold sighed as he hung his feet over the bed.

" .mmm! Maybe she just needs time to see what it would be like to live her dreams alone?" Gerald hesitated to suggest.

"Saying that though just means she would be happy not to include me in them. Like I'm holding her back from a happy life." Arnold pointed out as his head shot up.

"Well, has she ever said anything about this before? Up until now, I thought all she wanted was to be with you?" Gerald asked, shrugging his shoulders.

"That's what I thought too. Then she had to do that dream poem, and I guess it completely changed her way of thinking about things!" Arnold sighed as he placed his head in his hands.

"Girls are so complicated! I don't know what's going through that girl's mind right now, but I do know the only thing that's ever scared Helga G. Pataki is the thought of losing you!" Gerald mentioned, pointing a finger at Arnold.

"I used to think so too. These last few months have really made me think though. Maybe I should have just left things alone. Maybe I shouldn't have proposed when I did. I just thought she was pregnant." Arnold said, thinking out loud.

"Well if you love her enough to do it, then what does it matter?" Gerald asked, sitting on the couch.

"I'd follow her anywhere, but she's acting like I'm still holding her back from something?" Arnold informed him, lifting his head up.

"I don't know what that could be? Without you, that girl would still be living with her lunatic parents!" Gerald pointed out as Arnold rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, I know. Well it's getting late. I should get some sleep." Arnold suggested as Gerald left. After changing into his pajamas, Arnold laid under the covers, watching the stars through his ceiling. _I hope Helga's okay._ He thought to himself.

Back at the homeless shelter, Helga was laying on a cot beside Jason. The two of them made sure to stay on the other side of the room Arnie was staying on.

"Sweet dreams. Maybe we could do something together tomorrow. Like get some ice cream?" Jason suggested as Helga's eyes grew wide. "Uhhh yeah, maybe."

 _Ice Cream...Ice Cream...Ice Cream…._ Helga said to herself until she at last drifted off. Her dream tonight wasn't so pleasant.

 _Class Reunion_

 _Phoebe: It was wonderful of you to take some time off to throw this party for all our old classmates, President Pataki!_

 _Helga: Don't mention it! Where's Arnold?_

 _Phoebe: Where's who?_

 _Helga: Arnold. You know, from our class?_

 _Phoebe: I'm afraid I don't know who you're talking about._

 _Helga: Phoebe, are you ill? Arnold! The football headed goody two shoes who solved all our class problems!_

 _Phoebe: That was you Helga? You solved all our class problems. Everyone went to you for advice._

 _Helga: ME? That's impossible! I don't know how to give advice?_

 _Phoebe: You're the president; I'm sure you do. Now you're speech on the importance of helping others is coming up._

 _Helga: I have to go to the kitchen...I...I need something to eat!_

 _Kitchen_

 _Server: What can I get you President Pataki?_

 _Helga: I'll just have a bowl of ice cream._

 _Server: Ice cream?_

 _Helga: Yeah, ice cream! You know, that creamy treat that's as cold as ice!_

 _Server: I've never heard of that before? Is it new?_

 _Helga: Noooo? Have you been living under a rock? It's ice cream!_

 _Server: I'm sorry President Pataki. We do have some chocolate cake._

 _Helga: Fine! Give me a piece!_

 _Server: Here you are. Have a napkin; it's messy._

 _Helga: I know how to wipe my face!_

 _Server: It never hurts to have a little help every now and then._

Helga flew up from her cot, sweat pouring down her face. She bent over to check her phone, seeing it was six in the morning. _I wonder if it's too early to go to Arnold's?_

She laid her head back down a moment as she thought to herself _I can't believe how terrible that felt! I had my dream job, but not someone I loved to share the success with? Not someone to support me, let alone inspire me!_

Not needing to stretch, Helga got off the cot and headed for the door. _I've made a huge mess of things with my overly dramatic way of thinking. I only hope my beloved can find it in his sensitive soul to forgive me!_

Making it to the boarding house, Helga took a deep breath as she approached the fire escape. _Here I go! Hopefully, only good will come of this._ She thought to herself, as she grabbed onto the steps she had climbed quite a few times before. Making it to the top, she looked through the glass to find her beloved still sleeping peacefully. She then snuck in quietly, not wanting to disturb him. _Do I get in bed with him, or just wait until he wakes up?_ She wondered to herself. After standing there a moment, the sun made the decision for her. Arnold began to open his eyes as the sunlight hit his roof. There he saw his fiance standing before him. Rubbing his eyes to make sure he wasn't dreaming, he shot up as quickly as she did when she awoke.

"Helga! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to make you feel like you couldn't come home last night!" Arnold exclaimed, as he took her hand. Sitting down beside him, she replied "No, you were right. I haven't made things easy for us." Sitting there, holding her hand a moment, he replied "Thank goodness you came back, I had a terrible dream last night!" Lifting part of her eyebrow, she replied "You did?"

"Yes! I dreamt we got married and you were miserable because you didn't get to do any of the things you had always dreamt of doing." he explained, practically panting. She began to smile as she responded "Funny you should say that. I had a nightmare as well."

"Really?" he asked, wondering if it was similar to his. "I had my dream job, only I was miserable because you were not there." she replied, as his face lit up.

Not knowing how to respond to that, she went on. "Your creepy cousin followed me to the park last night, which was a nightmare itself." she began as Arnold stopped her.

"Yeah, I kind of followed you after school. I don't know how you managed to stalk me all those years. Just that one time wasn't easy for me." he laughed as she rolled her eyes.

"Anyway, when he invited me back to the shelter, I took some classes, he made sound intriguing. It wasn't easy without you on my mind however." she stopped when he asked "What do you mean?"

"You're obviously what inspires the creativity of my poetry; my passionate side! Who would I have for that if I left you? Then when I went to a management group, the position I drew was president." she paused as Arnold couldn't help but smile at the situation.

"When I was called to the front to give orders, I couldn't think of a reason. There was no one to motivate me. You inspired my reputation. You created both sides of me. Although I'm sure you didn't mean to." she admitted, rolling his eyes at that.

When he still didn't say anything, she thought to herself _I'm still making this all about me. Why he should help make MY life easier. All I did when we were kids was find ways to make HIS life easier. What's happened! Who am I?_

"Also at lunch yesterday, I'm sure you noticed the scene I created with Phoebe. When I was explaining what happened between the two of us on the bus that morning, she helped me realize how selfish I was being. Marriage is about sacrifices on both sides. It's funny, all I did when we were kids was make sure you were happy. I wouldn't let you know about it however. Now I have the perfect opportunity to prove how much you mean to me, and I'm making it more difficult than ever. I won't do it anymore! That dream was a real wake up call! I'm so sorry!" she insisted, grabbing his hands tighter, as her eyes began to water.

Arnold sat there as he listened, thinking to himself _Maybe I haven't been fair to her either. This is an early age to get married._ Before he could add anything, she continued.

"Like I said the other night, we complete each other. No job or school would ever be worth losing the one thing in my life that's always made me believe was worth living." as she continued he leaned into kiss her passionately. Laying on top of her, she thought to herself _I ought to punch that teacher's face in for making me question my dreams! If anything is, it's being with Arnold!_

Letting her lips go, he said. "You've always been a complex person Helga. At times it's frustrating, but it's also admirable. You never let the way your family neglected you stand in the way of you having a chance of becoming the person you'd like to be."

Hearing this, she kissed him again and replied "You noticing me was the only thing giving me the strength to do that. What would help me with that if you weren't beside me? A better question might even be, what do I do for you? Phoebe pointed out this whole marriage deal is going to be a two way streak. Why do you need me?" Helga asked, looking away from him.

Arnold then sat up, as he took her hand and replied "Think of all the times you helped me when things seemed hopeless. People come to me for advice, but like I told you, I'm not perfect Helga. Everyone needs help sometimes. You've helped me with so many things, proving you're a much better person than you give yourself credit for!"

The two sat there looking into each other's eyes. Knowing the next few months would not be easy. They would be full of doubt and questions. The only thing that would get them through it was asking themselves how much the other meant to them. If they worked together, they would find ways around problems that came about over the next few years. Without each other, they didn't see much hope or point of trying anything else that may be of interest to them.


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36: How Can I Help?

Four months until the wedding

It was Saturday morning. Arnold and Helga had spent the last two months being both nervous and excited about the wedding. The first two months had been filled with drama about whether or not they were making a huge mistake. Was love enough to make such a big decision at such an early point in their lives?

Finally, they came to the conclusion even if they're dreams were completed right away, what good would they do them if they didn't have anyone there to share them with?

That morning when the two awoke, Arnold asked Helga what she and the girls would be doing to prepare that morning. "Well Princess says today we'll be booking rehearsal dinner venues. You know, negotiating costs. Then Ordering the cake." Helga said, as she rolled over to face him.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Arnold asked, hoping to take some of the pressure off her. "Well if you and Geraldo want to check the wedding invites to see who all is coming that would be good. Then we can give the list to Princess. She'll need it for the wedding shower." Helga rolled her eyes as the two sat up.

"That day doesn't sound too bad." Arnold insisted, hoping Helga would agree. "With any luck it won't take more than two hours, considering how fast she works. She always seems to have an idea of what she wants for something, whether or not she asks my opinion. If it wasn't for Pheebs, I wouldn't have a say in anything."

The two then went downstairs to see the family eating breakfast. "Hey shortman! Your mom and grandma made some blueberry muffins! They said those over there are Cranberry muffins, but I still don't trust they're not raspberries." Phil pointed out as the kids took a seat at the table.

Arnold grabbed Helga a few as he asked "Which would you like?" She took a blueberry, responding "As long as they're not strawberries, I'll eat them."

Stella looked over, pouring them both some orange juice, as she asked "So, what do you two have planned for today?"

Arnold immediately answered, "Helga is going to order the cake with the girls, and I'm going to see if Gerald wants to help me check the wedding invites."

"Sounds like fun." Miles said as Stella nodded her head in agreement.

Shoving the last of her muffin into her mouth, Helga got up from her seat. "Well I should get going. Don't want Princess to be angry." Helga insisted as she left the table.

As Helga left the house, she saw Phoebe waiting at the end of the steps. "Good morning Helga. How are you?"

"Not bad. Ready to get this over with." she explained as Phoebe had already known the answer.

"So, are you going to continue your choice of the chocolate mousse cake you and Arnold picked out." Phoebe asked as Helga looked at the ground. "Unless Princess decides to make me choose something else."

After a moment of awkward silence, Helga decided to speak up. "So, how are things with you and Geraldo?" Phoebe smiled, surprised at Helga's interest with her relationship. "Things are proceeding well. He's spent much of his free time helping Arnold get ready for the wedding."

"Yeah, that doesn't surprise me. Football head says he wants to help, but he can't do it without help himself." Helga sneered.

They then arrived at Rhonda's house, only she wasn't so quick to open the door this time. "What's taking her so long?" Helga scowled with her arms crossed. "Perhaps she didn't hear us." Phoebe suggested as she was about to knock again. The door then flew open, as they saw Rhonda on the phone. Phoebe made sure to slip in quietly, while Helga could have cared less about interrupting her. The two took their usual seats in the living room until they finally saw Rhonda walking in with the phone down.

"Girls, I have been negotiating the costs for the rehearsal dinner all morning." Rhonda said proudly as Helga sat and thought to herself _Then what did you need US for?_

"It looks as though we can keep everything under two thousand dollars...all thanks to me of course!" Rhonda placed a hand on her hip as Helga crossed her arms.

"I suppose that leaves us with the morning to research the cakes?" Phoebe suggested as Rhonda smiled "Right you are!"

Rhonda signaled for Helga to take a seat in front of the computer as she slowly dragged herself over to it. Helga found it a bit pointless to be looking at them. She already knew the type of cake she and Arnold wanted for the wedding. The design didn't matter to her. "Well, do you see anything you like?" Rhonda asked, as Helga flipped through the site. Helga kept searching until she saw one that resembled the cake from the menu at Chez Paris. The night she brought her friends to the wrong restaurant, the waiter had offered to bring it to them.

"I guess I'll take this one." Helga said, not giving Rhonda the reason why. Rhonda stared at the way it's dark features lacked the ability to show any type of decorations. For instance, the vanilla creme cakes easily portrayed the flower and heart decorations along the sides of them. As she was about to comment on it, she noticed Phoebe's annoyed face. "Uhh fine. I'll just click here to order. I must warn you however, chocolate is not an easy stain to remove from a white dress!" Rhonda couldn't help but add as Helga ignored the fact that she was indeed a sloppy eater.

After Rhonda had ordered, she noticed Helga continuing to look through the cakes. "Are you having second thoughts? I knew you…." before she could finish however, Helga stopped her to scowl. "No, I'm not having second thoughts! Sheesh! I was just looking to see if it would be possible to order another cake to go with it." Helga explained as Rhonda thought for a moment. "Well, it's a bit unusual, but I suppose it wouldn't be a bad idea. I mean, not everyone will want to stare at that dark non-decorative stack all evening!"

Helga rolled her eyes as she sighed "No, I meant for Arnold and I to share. Later that night." Helga began to blush as Rhonda began to smile. "Ohhhh I see."

Helga then through her face into her hands as she thought to herself _I knew I shouldn't have said anything._

"Well let's just click under 'special events'." Rhonda suggested as Helga blushed heavily.

Phoebe patted her friend on the back as she said to Rhonda "Perhaps we should give Helga a bit of privacy?"

"Uhhh fine! Let me know when you've chosen something, so we can order it." Rhonda insisted as she and Phoebe left the room.

Helga sat there flipping through the desserts. She was a bit shocked at what she saw. Rhonda had brought her to an erotic dessert page, when Helga just wanted a simple cake to share with Arnold. _Criminy! Princess has gone off the deep end for cripes sake!_

Suddenly, Helga saw a simple heart shaped cake. Even better, it was an ice cream cake! She stared at it, thinking about her and Arnold feeding it to each other after the wedding was over. _Oh my beloved, is it destiny? For you are the sweetest dessert life could offer me!_

Blushing heavily, Helga then called Rhonda over as she pointed and said, "I'll take this one." hoping she would ignore all the other desserts surrounding it. "Again with the simple desserts." Rhonda said shaking her head, as she ordered the cake for Helga.

Meanwhile, Gerald was in Arnold's room making phone calls to check the wedding invites.

"Thanks again for helping with this Gerald." Arnold smiled, as Gerald replied "No problem buddy. Glad you worked things out with your lady!"

"Yeah, I guess this whole event has just made us overthink our feelings from time to time. Deep down, we know we're meant for each other though. Arnold smiled, staring off into space, starting to creep Gerald out a bit.

"Hey Arnold! Snap out of it man!" Gerald exclaimed as Arnold shook his head. "Oh sorry, who's left on the list?"

"Just one person. Helga's favorite sister." Gerald said sarcastically, as Arnold sighed, picking up the phone.

Ring...Ring...Ring…

"Hello?"

"Hey Olga. It's Arnold."

"Oh! Arnold!"

"Yeah, umm I just wanted to make sure you were coming to the wedding shower next month and the wedding in May?"

"Of course! Don't worry, I'm still working on mommy and daddy!"

"Okay, well we'll be meeting at 'The Knot' at 6 am on May 31 to drive to the wedding."

"Oh goody!"

"I have to go."

"Bye."

As Arnold hung up the phone, rubbing his neck, Gerald shook his head. "Mm..mm..mmm! That family of hers!"

"Yeah, but at least everyone's coming. Now I can just text Rhonda and tell her nothing's changed." Arnold picked up his phone as Gerald replied "Well, at least there's a bright side to all of this."

Back at Rhonda's house, Rhonda had taken Helga's place at the computer, while she was sitting on the couch, trying not to blush too heavily. Suddenly Rhonda received a text. "I wonder who that could be."

 _Only one way to find out!_ Helga thought to herself.

"It's Arnold!" Rhonda exclaimed as Helga looked up, wondering what he could be texting her about." "Apparently, everyone is coming to the shower and wedding. This is perfect! Now we won't have to make any changes." Rhonda said excitedly as Helga thought to herself _Yeah, we wouldn't want to make things more difficult for you!_

"Well girls, I think that's all we need done for today. Tomorrow, we can go shopping for your wedding shoes and start scheduling your makeup artists!" Rhonda said nearly jumping for joy, as Helga headed for the door.

"Thank you for the help Rhonda. We are quite looking forward to tomorrow." Phoebe insisted, as she followed Helga out the door.

When the two of them made it outside, Phoebe turned to Helga "I can't help but ask why you were so embarrassed about ordering a second cake to share with Arnold?"

Helga's eyes widened as she turned to snap at her friend "Phoebe! Did you not see the page she got that cake off of?! I wasn't looking for anything sexual! If I had been, I wouldn't have let HER of all people know about it! I just wanted something to make the night special. I've really screwed up these past couple of months. Like you said, marriage is about sacrifices. I haven't been fair to Arnold." Helga's voice began to calm as she looked at the ground.

"It's okay Helga. Preparing for something this extreme isn't easy. It's perfectly normal to overthink things." Phoebe pointed out as Helga looked at her.

"Thanks Pheebs. You want to see if the guys want to grab a burger?" Helga suggested as they headed towards the boarding house. "Sounds delightful!" Phoebe replied.

Back in Arnold's room, Gerald was just about to head on his way home when he received a text.

"Who's that from?" Arnold asked curiously.

"Phoebe wants to know if we want to get a burger with her and Helga?" Gerald asked as Arnold immediately stood up. "Sounds great!"

"They're going to the steakhouse. I guess we can meet them over there." Gerald guessed as Arnold replied. "No, tell them to come back here, then we can all drive over together!"

Gerald went with the plan as he saw Arnold scatter to get ready. "Man, what's your hurry? They're not even here yet?" he asked, as Arnold began to blush. "Uhh sorry, I'm just...hungry."

Shaking his head in disbelief, he replied "Whatever you say Arnold."

The two went downstairs to see Phil sitting in his rocker in the living room. "Hey grandpa!" Arnold nearly shouted. "Hey shortman! What are you boys up to?" Phil asked.

"We're going to dinner with Helga and Phoebe at the Steakhouse. Can we borrow the car?" Arnold asked with pleading eyes.

"Hmmm….okay. But I don't want to wake up tomorrow and find that Pataki character left another dent in it! I'm not watchin' anymore golf videos!" Phil exclaimed as Arnold rolled his eyes. "Uhh right grandpa."

As the two of them left the boarding house, the girls were approaching the door. "Hey football head! Ready to eat?" Helga asked with her hands on her hips. "Yeah, let's go! Gerald and Phoebe watched Arnold practically yank Helga over to the driveway.

"What's got Arnold so excited?" Phoebe asked, still standing by the steps with Gerald. "I don't know. He's been acting that way ever since you and Helga were on the way back to the boarding house."

"Perhaps we should give them their privacy, and go eat somewhere ourselves? Afterall, we haven't had much time to spend alone together." Phoebe suggested, doing her best not to blush.

Gerald then walked over to Arnold's side of the car as he explained "Hey Arnold, I think Phoebe and I are going to go back to my place. We haven't had much time to spend alone together lately. I'm sure you and Helga would like to do the same." he said, winking at his best friend.

Arnold smiled as he replied, "Okay, see you later Gerald."

Watching them pull out, Phoebe wondered "I wonder what it is he has to tell her?" Gerald stood there shrugging his shoulders as he replied "Whatever it is, I'm sure we'll be hearing about it tomorrow!"

As Arnold drove his soon to be wife to the restaurant, Helga couldn't help but notice he was on the virge of breaking the speed limit. "Sheesh football head! What's your rush? It's dinner, not 'dessert'" she couldn't help but laugh at her own joke as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, um sorry Helga. I've just kind of got big news for both of us."

She sat quietly the rest of the ride, wondering what that could be. When they parked, she expected to be dragged out of the car and up to the door. Instead, he came around and calmly opened it for her. _Guess all I had to do was point out his paranoia_

The two then walked to the front door as they waited to be seated. Arnold noticed her searching the place as he couldn't help but say "Don't worry, I'm sure your family's not here."

"Pttss...Of course not, it gave him a heart attack, remember?" she said wittingly as the two were then taken to a booth.

After ordering some Yahoo sodas, Helga watched Arnold go from anxious to nervous. She took a sip of her drink as she examined him just staring at the table. Finally, she broke the silence by saying "You gonna tell me what this big news is, or is it just that you've learned to drive faster than you can speak?"

He looked up blushing, realizing he had gotten lost in his thoughts. "Oh, sorry Helga. I didn't mean to space out on you."

"Sure you didn't, football head." she said, raising part of her eyebrow.

Leaning forward on the table, he took a deep breath and began explaining. "Well, I sort of have big news for both of us. After you left this morning, I got two phone calls. One from Dr, Bliss, the other from Dino Spumoni."

Helga sat there thinking _I'm sure Bliss has just decided to help him out with a job and some training as far as his major goes. What could either of them be doing to help me out?_

"You probably already guessed Dr. Bliss called to tell me she agreed to train me next summer. Also find a starting position for me, just to learn some things about my major." Arnold began.

 _Bingo!_ Helga thought to herself as she smiled "Sounds great Arnoldo!"

"Yeah, but I have some even bigger news for you. I hope it makes you happy." he said as he nervously rubbed his arm on the table. Her eyes widened as she snapped, "Well, spit it out! I haven't got all night!"

"When Dino called to tell me about the music, he asked if I was excited about the wedding. I couldn't help but tell him things had been a bit hectic between us lately." Arnold began

"Of course not, being the honest person you are." Helga scoffed.

"Well, when I told him we had gone back and forth with deciding if getting married to early would hold each other back from fulfilling our dreams, he asked what your's were." Arnold gulped as Helga set her drink down. She wasn't one to pass out personal information.

"When I told him you had always been interested in journalism or some type of government job" Helga blushed at this "he offered to pull some strings with the mayor for an internship. Your grades more than qualify you for it. That is if you're interested in a government major?"

Arnold was shaking by the time he finished, not knowing what her reaction would be. On the one hand, he had passed out personal information between the two of them. Given out details about her personal interests to people who barely knew her. On the other, he was helping to make her dream job happen.

He looked across the table. The only look of reassurance he had was how her eyes went from wide and nervous to half lidded and dreamy…

 _Oh my love...so kind and giving! Even in a two way commitment such as marriage, you make sure to see I'm the one who remains happy!_

"So, what do you think?" he couldn't help but ask, knowing what he was probably interrupting.

She shook her head as she laid her hand on top of his. "That sounds amazing!" she couldn't help but shout, as she leaned across the table to kiss him. The two were then interrupted by the waitress. "Here are your burgers and fries! If you need anything else, just let me know!"

Helga dove right in as Arnold began picturing their life together. Her one day becoming a government official while he worked in the medical field. Then the two of them sharing romantic evenings together, and one day, even having a kid to go along with it.

"We should have these burgers at the wedding! I've gotten to the point where I could care less what Princess thinks." Helga explained, with her mouth half full.

"By the way, how'd today go ordering the cake?" he asked as she set her food down. "Oh man, get this! I picked out our mousse cake, and she starts ranting about the color clashing with how decorative it should be! Sheesh."

"Sounds like something she'd say." Arnold admitted. "Yeah, then when I decided to pick out another cake for us, she takes me to some crazy erotic page. What a weirdo!" Helga exclaimed as Arnold blushed.

"What did you want a second cake for?" he asked as she rolled her eyes. "I just thought it would be nice for us to share when we were alone later that night. That's all!"

Giving her his half lidded eyes, he asked "What kind of cake is it?" She began to stare at her plate, as she replied "A heart shaped ice cream cake."

Seeing her blush, he reached over to rub her hand "I really do make you think of ice cream don't I? Should that be my nickname when we're married?"

"I think I'll stick with football head." she smirked, taking back her hand to finish her burger.

When the two finished dinner, they headed back to the car. "Try not to break the speed limit this time Arnoldo!" Helga insisted as he started the car.

"Whatever you say Helga!" Arnold replied, shaking his head at her.

The two sat quietly on the way back home. Arnold full of relief Helga was happy with his news. Helga once again feeling undeserving of his love.

When the two pulled up in the driveway, Arnold looked over to see the puzzled expression on her face. "Are you okay?" She looked up with troubled eyes. "I'm fine, it's just…"

"What?" He asked anxiously grabbing her hands. "That was an amazing thing you did for me! You keep making sacrifices for me. I don't feel like I deserve you." she replied, her eyes watering.

"Of course you do! You've looked out for me in more ways than I can count." he replied as he began kissing her sad lips. Tears began to stream down her face as he wiped them away, not breaking away from her lips.

Pulling away, he saw her let out a weak smile. "Well if that's the case, don't be expecting too much from me after we're married. I did all my good deeds when we were kids." she said, letting herself out of the car, as he said once more, "Whatever you say Helga."


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter 37: Something Borrowed

The next morning, the two awoke knowing Helga had some shopping to do. She wasn't too anxious to let go of the covers. "Good morning Helga." Arnold said, as he faced toward his loved one. "Morning." she replied, still trying to wake up.

"Are you ready to get some new shoes?" Arnold asked optimistically as she rolled her eyes "Only if you shop for, try them on, and buy them for me."

Arnold helped her up, knowing she wouldn't enjoy this anymore than she had dress shopping. "Do you at least know the store you'll be shopping at?" he asked as she scoffed "Pttss...I'm sure it'll be one from that list I rejected a couple months ago when we were dress shopping."

"Why not call Olga and see if she has a pair you can borrow?" Arnold suggested as Helga glared. "Uhh because that would mean talking to her, and I'm trying to keep that to a bare minimum."

Just as Helga was getting up to get dressed, her phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Helga. It's Rhonda!"

"Hey Princess."

"Listen, if we want to get everything done this weekend, we'll have to see the makeup artist at noon. Which means if we want to be able to discuss the different types of hair styles as well, we may not have as much time for shoe shopping. Is there anyone you could borrow a pair from?"

"Not that I know of"

"This is an emergency! We need to get everything done today!"

"Uhhh fine! I'll see if Olga has a freakin' pair I can borrow! Crimety!"

"Perfect! See you at my place at eleven!"

Helga sneered as she hung up the phone. Holding her face in her hand. "What happened?" Arnold asked curiously.

"Princess says the makeup is going to take up a huge chunk of the day. Therefore if we want to 'stay on schedule' I have to borrow a pair of shoes from Olga! You two telepathic or something?" she sneered.

Trying not to laugh, he asked "So, does this mean you're going back to your house?"

Sitting back down, she sighed "I don't know. The last thing I want to see is Bob and Miriam...let alone her. I doubt your family wants her to bring over an entire collection of shoes though!"

"How about you talk to the makeup and hair stylist with Rhonda and Phoebe. Then while you're doing that, I'll invite Olga over with all her shoes. Your dress is already here, so we can pick which one matches the best." Arnold suggested as Helga rolled her eyes. "You're such a girl, but all right."

The two went downstairs for breakfast, as they saw the family eating eggs and toast. "Hey shortman! How goes it?" Phil asked, enjoying his breakfast.

"Good grandpa. While Helga is out with the girls today, her sister is going to come over for awhile. We need to pick some shoes to go with her dress, if that's okay?" Arnold asked as Phil gave a surprised look. "Okay? Seems like the bride would be the one to pick out the shoes. It's your wedding though."

Arnold rolled his eyes as Helga continued eating. Looking over, she noticed him slipping her a napkin. "What's this for?" she muttered. "If you're going to be picking out your makeup today, you'll want to make sure your face is clean." Arnold pointed out as her face began to blush. "I can wipe my own face dingus!" she scowled as he smiled "It never hurts to accept help from someone."

She thought back to her dream. It all felt too real to her. Perhaps that was because it was. Her hands shaking as she grabbed it, she wiped her face. "Well, I'm going to Rhonda's now. Pheebs is probably already out there waiting for me." Helga insisted as she got up from her chair.

The family waved goodbye to her, as she headed out the door. Helga made it outside, but didn't see Phoebe. She shrugged her shoulders and began walking, until the two ran into each other at the corner. Nearly bumping into each other, the way she always used to with Arnold. "Sorry I'm late Helga. Gerald and I hung out later than planned last night, so I overslept a bit."

Helga smiled as she patted her friend on the back. "So, can I assume your wedding will be next?"

Phoebe blushed as the two continued to Rhonda's house. "Do you know the name of the stylist Rhonda has selected?" Phoebe asked as Helga rolled her eyes. "Beats me. She seems excited about it though. Oh brother!"

The two then made it two Rhonda's, as they saw her with a notebook in her hand. "There you two are! Come with me. We have so much to get done!" Rhonda exclaimed as Helga wondered to herself _What is she so worked up about? She's not the one doing the makeup?_

Rhonda led them over to a place called 'Studio Fix You.' "This is it girls! This place has the finest makeup and hair stylists in town! I've already spoken with the manager about setting us up with their top artists for the occasion."

Helga rolled her eyes as she and Phoebe followed Rhonda in. Rhonda led them up to the counter as she said "We're here to see Tracey to discuss Helga Pataki's wedding makeover."

"Right. Have a seat and she will be right with you girls." The lady at the desk insisted. The girls took a seat as they examined the place. This certainly is a unique environment Rhonda." Phoebe couldn't help but admit.

"It's all the rage!" Rhonda agreed as Helga remained silent, wondering how things were going with Olga.

Back at Arnold's house, he heard the doorbell ring. Knowing who it must be, he ran to grab the door. Opening it, he saw Olga with three overflowing bags of shoes. _I can't believe girls have that many shoes!_ He thought to himself as Olga threw her arms around him. "Arnold! I'm so excited! Where's my baby sister?!"

"Oh, she's already makeup shopping with the other girls. I told her I'd help you pick out the shoes, since she wouldn't have time for that later." he explained, as Olga began to smile.

"Wonderful! Let's get started!" she insisted, as Arnold began to stop her. "Uhh why don't we take the bags up to my room? That's where the dress is."

"Oh goody! I can't wait to see it!" she exclaimed as the two raced up there.

Meanwhile, Helga, Phoebe and Rhonda had just been called to meet Tracey. "You must be Helga Pataki! I can see you'll need some help choosing your makeup for the wedding." The stylist insisted, as Helga rolled her eyes.

"Well, here is a book of all the makeup choices we have. Different brands and colors of eye shadow, lipstick, mascara, foundation…" Rhonda couldn't help but snatch the book as Tracey began explaining everything to Helga.

"I must insist ruling out anything dark if you're going to be wearing a dress with pink, while carrying carnation flowers." Rhonda insisted as the stylist nodded her head.

"That is good advice. Perhaps some light pink eyeshadow, with red lipstick. You also seem to have snow white skin. Therefore, we wouldn't want foundation that appears to be too noticeable." said Tracey as Helga thought to herself _Yeah, wouldn't that be terrible._

"I'd recommend going with this porcelean shade. It will put a light touch on your skin, while keeping anyone from being able to see you're wearing anything!" Tracey continued as Rhonda nodded in agreement.

"Fine! Are we done here?" Helga scowled as Rhonda responded "Ummm no? We haven't even talked about your hair yet!"

Back in Arnold's room, Olga had dumped her shoes all over Arnold's floor. He couldn't believe how much room it had taken up. "Have you really worn all of these before?" he asked in amazement.

"Oh yes! I've had so many different award ceremonies and special events that required dressing up. It's not professional to wear the same shoes to an event twice in a row!" she explained as Arnold thought _She sounds like Rhonda!_

"I see. So, which pair do you think Helga would like?" he asked, not being a good judge when it came to shoes.

"If I know my baby sister, she'll want something that goes with pink!" Olga exclaimed.

Arnold began searching the shoes. He didn't see too many that weren't more than just plain white. Every other had sparkles or were open toed, but nothing that screamed 'Helga'"

"Oh, I just want my baby sister to be happy! Here I have all these shoes, and none of them are fit for her." Olga said sadly as Arnold began to notice her pain. Suddenly, he came across a pair with tiny pink flowers on the buckles.

"What about these?" he asked as Olga smiled widely. "Oh! I wore those the night Lila and I went to our music performance at the opera house."

Arnold scratched the back of his head as he replied "Oh, well let's not mention that part to Helga."

He held the shoes up to the dress as he asked Olga for her opinion "What do you think?"

"Ooohhhh I love it! Oh my baby sister is growing up!" She screamed as her eyes began to water, mascara pouring down her face.

"I think we all are. Let me help you with the shoes." He offered, seeing her reach over to pick them up. As she walked out the door with the bags, Arnold said "Thank you for your help. I know Helga will love these!"

"You're welcome Arnold! See you at the shower!" Olga exclaimed as Arnold waved goodbye.

Arnold went back to his room, looking at the shoes he and Olga had picked out. Holding them up to the dress, he thought to himself _I know she'll look beautiful!_

Back at the salon, the girls were deciding what would be the best hairstyle for Helga. "No! No! No! There is no way you are keeping your hair in pigtails for the wedding!" Rhonda exclaimed, as Helga crossed her arms. "You gotta better idea Princess?"

"Why don't we curl it with a curling iron?" Rhonda suggested, while Helga raised part of her eyebrow. "If you're suggesting I get a cheap perm, I'd rather have a root canal!"

Phoebe watched Helga's annoyance, wishing she could think of a solution. Then, she suggested "Helga, do you remember the hairstyle you chose for the dinner we shared with Arnold and Gerald at Chez Paris?"

Helga thought back to the night as she replied "Yeah, I was trying to act 'sophisticated.' All it did was result in the four of us washing dishes. Oh brother!"

"Putting aside how the night ended, what would you think of that hairstyle for your wedding?" Phoebe suggested as Helga shrugged her shoulders. "Eh, I guess it wouldn't be so bad."

The girls then flipped through the book, hoping to find an example of what to show the stylist. They could see Rhonda was becoming annoyed, not knowing what they were referring to.

"Here's what her hair looked like!" Phoebe pointed to the picture as the stylist said, "That's actually a popular wedding style."

The girls all smiled as Helga asked "Are we finally finished here?"

"I just need the information for the wedding." The stylist asked politely as Helga groaned. "Wedding's May 31, starts at 3, Bus leaves at 6 am at 'The Knot' if you need a ride over there. Takes place at the beach. You've got Rhonda's AKA our wedding coordinator's number if you need more information."

The three of them left the salon as Helga anxiously headed for home.

"Well girls, that's all for this month! We are keeping ahead of schedule! See you later." Rhonda said proudly, as Helga and Phoebe headed in the opposite direction.

"How do you think picking shoes with Olga went for Arnold, Helga?" Phoebe asked, hoping to break the silence between them. "Crimity, if he's as optimistic as he's made himself out to be, I'm sure he handled her just fine."

"Have you given any thought to your something, old, new, borrowed, and blue items?" Phoebe asked as Helga paused a moment.

"Uhh not really. I guess if I'm borrowing a pair of crummy shoes from Olga, they can be both my something borrowed and old." Phoebe smiled as she watched her best friend scratch the back of her head. "Then I'll just do what most brides do and use the dress as my something new."

After a moment of silence, Phoebe asked "What about your something blue?" Helga's first thought was Arnold's hat. What would she be doing wearing that however? "I don't know, I'll figure it out."

After walking Phoebe home, Helga made it back to the boarding house. She walked inside to see the family eating dinner. Arnold stood up, anxious to see her home. "You're home! How'd your day go?"

She took a seat beside him as he pulled out a chair for her. "Well, we picked out my makeup. Pink eyeshadow, red lipstick, faded foundation. Then Pheebs suggested I wear my hair the same way I did the night the four of us had dinner at Chez Paris."

As she explained this, Arnold smiled and replied "You did look 'sophisticated' that night."

"Oh shut up football head!" she scowled, knowing he was being sarcastic.

"I don't think I've heard that story before?" Miles interrupted.

"Oh, well Helga invited Gerald, Phoebe and I to eat dinner there after she won a free dinner for four for a poem she had written." Arnold began as Stella jumped in "That sounds lovely."

"Turned out the certificate was for the restaurant Chez Pierre. Which meant the four of us spent the evening washing dishes like a bunch of losers!" Helga added

"It was worth eating with you." Arnold winked as he put his hand on her's.

After dinner, Arnold and Helga cleared their plates, and went upstairs to his room. "I want to show you the shoes we picked out for you." As the two went upstairs, Arnold seemed anxious, although nowhere near as anxious as when he told her about the job he had set up for her. He was always happy to tell her he had done something for her.

The two entered his room as Helga took a seat on the bed and Arnold went to grab the shoes. Arnold brought over the shoes to place in Helga's hands as she examined them. "These are the shoes she was wearing the night she went to that opera thingy with Ms. Goody Two Shoes."

"Yeah, I told her not to mention that to you." he looked away, rubbing the back of his neck.

She let out a weak smile as she tried them on. Her feet slid in perfectly, as though it was meant to be. Arnold watched her continue to stare at them, until he finally asked "So, what do you think?"

"If the shoe fits, I guess. This one sure seems to." she said wittingly, as he walked over to hug her.

"So, how was your time spent with Big Ms. Perfect?" Helga asked, as Arnold looked at her. "Not bad. I can tell she really misses you, and is happy this is happening for you."

"Pttss….That girl could find a way to bring happiness to a funeral!" Helga scowled.

"Maybe, but it was still nice of her to lend these to you." Arnold pointed out, as he sat down beside her on the bed.

"Yeah, now I got my something, old, new, and borrowed. I just gotta figure out something blue. Mind if I borrow your hat?" She said sarcastically.

"What about your eyes?" he asked as she looked up at him. "What?" she asked, surprised at his response.

"Your eyes are blue. A deep ocean blue. They would be more than noticeable." He smiled as she began to blush.

"I guess that's true." she replied, shrugging her shoulders. He leaned into kiss her passionately. Falling on top of her, the two laid there holding each other's faces. _Arnold my love! Taking the time to notice such personal traits of mine. Appreciating me for who I am! Not wasting a moment of the day to make our dreams come alive!_

Releasing her lips, he asked "Are you going to take those to San Lorenzo? Maybe the Green Eyes will worship you this time."

"Shut up Arnoldo!" she scowled, pushing him off of her. Unfortunately, he pulled her off the bed with him. The two went rolling across the floor together as Helga scowled "Way to go Arnoldo! You almost made me knock over my wedding dress!"

"I think you'd live without it. I couldn't live without you however." he winked, making her gulp.

Pressing his lips against hers, he slid his hands under her back to push her against himself harder. She began to moan as she felt his heavy breathing. Being with him and the thoughts of everything he had done for her each night made her a whole different person than she was without him. He truly was her inspiration.


	38. Chapter 38

Chapter 38: I Found Something Sweeter

3 Months Before The Wedding

Arnold and Helga woke up one morning. For them, it was a special morning. Not just because they were drawing closer to the wedding, but because it was Valentine's Day. Arnold rolled over to wake up his sweetheart with a kiss. "Good morning Helga." he said, as he watched her open her eyes. "Morning football head." she whispered. Some habits just can't be broken.

"The wedding shower is this weekend, and Rhonda hasn't been as pushy about staying on schedule this month?" Arnold pointed out. "That's because we've already started a few things. There is a lot to get done still." she said, rubbing her eyes.

As Arnold began to rub her shoulder, he asked "What all needs to be done?" Helga then made herself sit up, as she went to grab the folder. "Well, this month Princess says we need to finalize menus and flowers, order our favorite foods, make our list of toast people, purchase the rings, send the event schedule to the vendors, and then the wedding shower will be Saturday."

"Wow! Well, we haven't skipped school since September. Maybe we could take this special day off to get some of that stuff done." Arnold suggested as he kissed her cheek. Staring at the list, then back to her beloved, she replied "Sounds good to me football head."

Arnold's eyes lit up as he replied "Great, let's get dressed, then we can get started!"

"Won't your parents find it suspicious though that we're staying home?" Helga stopped to think for a moment.

Realizing she was right, Arnold replied "Well, I guess we can go eat breakfast with them like we normally would. Then we can grab our bags and head out the door. Just make sure to pack the wedding folder in your bag."

After the two of them got ready, they headed down with their bags to the breakfast table. "Hello Eleanor, Kimba! I've prepared a fancy feast this morning!" Pookey said, as she brought in the pancakes and sausage. "Morning grandma." Arnold said, as he and Helga grabbed their plates.

"So, you two got any special plans for Valentine's Day?" Phil asked, winking at them. Helga began to blush as Arnold replied "Just more wedding planning. You probably won't see us until later tonight."

"Well, you two be careful. Have fun at school." Stella said, as they waved goodbye to the kids walking out the door.

After making it far enough away from the boarding house, Helga pulled the folder out of her backpack. "What do you think we should do first?" Arnold asked anxiously. "I guess we could go to the 'Crown Jewel' and get the rings." Helga suggested as Arnold happily took her hand. "Let's go!"

The two walked down the street, excited to be working on some wedding assignments together, rather than with their friends. "I'm really excited about this Helga." Arnold said, trying not to blush. "Why? Because we're missing school." she smirked.

"No, because you've don't most of the wedding stuff with Rhonda. When I get a chance to help, it's always with Gerald." he pointed out as Helga turned to smile at him. "Hey, I'm sure working with tall hair boy can't be any worse than Princess."

The two made it to 'Crown Jewel' as Helga's heart began to flutter. Her memory was taken back to the day she had her locket engraved. "I got your engagement ring from this place." Arnold interrupted her thoughts as she shook her head and replied "Uhh yeah, I've been here a few times myself."

The two of them started looking over the jewelry. As Helga watched her beloved examine the rings, she thought to herself _I never thought this day would come! Soon the strong love that exists between Arnold and I will be locked tighter than our fingers are laced!_

"Look at these Helga!" Arnold pointed as Helga looked to see two gold rings. "What's so special about them?" she wondered as he replied "Didn't you say the rings we were wearing in your marriage dream about us were gold? I mean the dream you had when we were kids." He blushed, as she began to gaze softly at him. _Oh my beloved! Your memory is as tender as your heart!_

"Yeah, these are nice I guess. How are we going to pay for them right now though? Your parents think we're at school." she pointed out as he smiled.

"Don't worry, my dad gave me his card when I went to the grocery store last night. I kind of forgot to give it back to him." Arnold replied, scratching the back of his head.

Helga shook her head with her hands on her hips as she replied "So, Mr. Do Gooder steals now? Guess I'm rubbing off on you more than we both knew, huh football head?"

"I'm not stealing! My parents already said they would pay for everything!" Arnold pointed out, as Helga kept her evil smile.

After the two bought the rings, they left the store and Helga immediately asked "Where to now football head?"

Arnold looked at the list of things for that month. "Well, why don't we find somewhere to eat. Then we can sit down and make a list of the food we'll want at the wedding, along with the list of people we know are doing the toasts. After we make the lists, we can send the information to those people." Arnold suggested as Helga happily concurred. "Sounds good. Where are we going to eat?"

"We could go grab a corndog by the pier." Arnold suggest as Helga rolled her eyes. "Fine, but if we run into your lame cousin again, he's going to be your new bride!"

The two then headed over there, enjoying the lovely warm weather along with their decision to take the day off from school. The wedding was three months away, and the two of them both new now what they wanted to do when they graduated from college. Their thoughts had shot back and forth within the past few months. Things were finally coming together however.

Making it to the pier, Arnold bought the two of them some corn dogs and yahoos, as they sat at the stand. "So, what food are we going to have there?" Arnold asked, as he looked at the planner. "Mr. Green is a caterer, so I'd say hamburgers, meatloaf, and we'll have need to bring a couple of pizzas for your grandpa. Rhonda already ordered the cake, along with the fancy smancy desserts off that class A website of her's." Helga explained as Arnold replied "Okay...I guess that means we just need to talk to Mr. Green. As far as the food goes."

"We've already talked to Mrs. Vitello a few times about the flowers haven't we?" Arnold asked as Helga waved her corndog at him. "Yeah, yeah. Pink carnations. Everything's set with her."

"All that's left that we can do without Rhonda then is going over the list of toast people." Arnold pointed out as Helga was finishing up her corn dog. "Well, I'm assuming every member of your family is going to want to give one...except Arnie. You let him speak/snort...and the wedding is off! Also, I'm guessing Pheebs and Geraldo will want to give their own speeches. Then there's that one big speech put together by all the weirdos in our class." Helga added them up as Arnold interrupted "Olga might give one."

Helga rolled her eyes taking a sip of her drink. "Arnold, please. I don't think either of us wants miss 'never heard of waterproof mascara' speaking at our wedding."

"Okay well, at the shower this weekend, we can gather everyone's information for the toasts." Arnold smiled.

After eating their food, the two of them went to take a seat on the dock. "Wedding planning seems so stressful, but it's a lot of fun when you're doing it with your partner!" Arnold said, wrapping his arm around Helga, kissing her on the cheek. As Helga's heart began to melt, she noticed him beginning to stand up. "Where are you going?" she asked anxiously.

"Wait here. I'll be right back." he said, as she leaned back, looking out at Elk Island _I can't believe how stupid we used to be. Believing in Wheezin' Ed. Crimity!_

When she noticed someone sitting down beside her, she turned to see Arnold holding a cup of ice cream with heart sprinkles and two spoons. "Where'd ya get that, football head?" she asked, while feeling chills on the inside. "I asked the guy at the corn dog stand if he had anything sweet for Valentine's Day." The two sat eating their ice cream, as every spoon full Helga took reminded her of Arnold _No dessert is as sweet as you are my love!_

By the time they reached the bottom of the cup, Helga saw Arnold's eyes focused on her mouth. "Let me guess, I've got something on my lips." she sighed.

"You should be happy. I know I am." He winked as he pulled her head in to kiss her, licking her lips and everything around it clean. Helga felt chills run through her body as her heart began to flutter.

Pulling his lips away, his added "Happy Valentine's Day!" She laid her head on his shoulders as she wrapped her arms around him _Oh my love, I wouldn't have a sensitive side if it weren't for you!_

A few moments later, Arnold began to stand up as he held out his hand to Helga. "Let's go talk to Mr. Green." Reaching out for his hand, she stood up to dust herself off. Grabbing their cup, she took it to the trash. Looking at it before she let go, she was reminded of her dream _What would I do without ice cream in my life?_

As the two were coming up on Green Meats, they saw Mr. Green outside sweeping. "Hey Mr. Green!" Arnold said, as he and Helga approached him. Mr. Green put down his broom as he turned around to say "Hey Arnold! You two out enjoying Valentine's Day?" Helga began to blush at the thought as Arnold replied "Uhh kind of. We were really just coming to tell you all the foods we'll be needing at the wedding. Burgers and meatloaf if you're still able to help." Mr. Green looked at him with surprised eyes as he exclaimed "Of course! No worries!" The two kids smiled as Arnold replied "Great. I should be able to get you the event schedule this weekend. That way you'll know the time everything is happening."

The boarding house was in sight, but seemed to early to head home. "It's only 3:30. My parents will get suspicious if we're home this early, after hearing about the stuff we needed to do for the wedding." Arnold thought out loud as Helga replied, "Well, it IS Valentine's Day. Why not treat me to dinner and a movie?"

"Where would you like to eat?" Arnold asked, assuming she already had some ideas. "Crimety! I don't know. You're supposed to be the romantic one! Sheesh!" she exclaimed. "Whatever you say Helga." he sighed, as he stood thinking about it.

"How about Chez Pierre? I was eating with Ruth there that night I met you, oops, 'Cecile' at Chez Paris!" Arnold suggested as Helga crossed her arms. "Yeah, and you kept running away from me to be with her! How romantic." she scoffed.

Taking her hand, Arnold explained "That night I realized Ruth was no more than a pretty face, and that the most beautiful gift can come in the plainest box. Just like 'Cecile' told me." he reminded her, winking.

Letting out a lovesick sigh, Helga felt her knees weaken. Shaking her head to snap herself out of it, she replied "Fine, but their menu better be good!"

As he held her hand, he asked "Did Chez Paris let you keep that coupon for Chez Pierre? I mean, it's not like it would have been of any use to them, since we ended up washing dishes anyway."

"Yeah, I've still got it in my purse somewhere. Along with a whole bunch of other useless crap! Sunglasses from the April Fools Dance, Lifetime Dino Land Pass even though I've been sneaking in all my life, Binoculars I used to spy on you when…" she paused before finishing her thought. It was unnecessary however, because Arnold was able to finish it for her.

"When you use to stalk me in grade school." he said, wrapping his arm around her shoulder, noticing her blush heavily. Sighing heavily, she replied as she stared at the ground. "Well, you already know how obsessed I was with you." He turned his face toward her as he smiled. "I hope you still are."

As their lips were about to meet, they came upon the restaurant. Pointing at the patio, Arnold said, "That was the table Ruth and I were out. Gerald was keeping a lookout for when I needed to switch restaurants to keep the two of you from becoming suspicious." Helga glared at the table, as she replied "Ooohhh some fancy pants outdoor table! Give me a break!"

Arnold scratched his head as he replied, "Yeah, I think she thought I was a busboy." Helga couldn't help but laugh as she replied "Why? Because you were like six inches shorter than her."

"Something like that." Arnold said, as he began to rub her hand. The two then walked inside, As Helga looked around. The atmosphere wasn't too different from Ches Paris. Not to mention, she had to admit it was nice being somewhere different with her beloved on a special day.

"Table for two please." Arnold requested, as the hostess lead them to one across the restaurant. They were sitting beside some lovely lilies, along with pictures of Paris hanging on the wall.

"I wish all restaurants were this nice." Helga said, as she began to look at the menu. Arnold smiled, as he replied "So, what do you think everyone will be saying during the toasts?"

Helga sat down the menu, as if she knew he was about to ask that. "Well, Stinky will probably slip in something about lemon pudding. Sid will go on about his cowboy boots, and Pink boy will mention the food. For instance, why don't we have enough of something. What an idiot!" Helga sighed, as Arnold rubbed his neck. "Yeah, you're probably right. Maybe we should have a bowl of ice cream ready for him."

Helga's mind froze at the idea. "Yeahhh...Ice cream. Hehe." she replied, pulling at her collar. As he was about to ask what was the big deal, every time he mentioned that, the waitress appeared.

"Hello you two. Have you decided what to eat?"

Looking at the menu, they both decided to go with the most American thing they could find. "We'll just have the chicken." Arnold replied, as the waitress left.

Seeing her shake as she picked up her drink, he asked "I remember you telling me ice cream was your code name for me as a kid. We've eaten and talked about it quite a few times since then. For instance earlier this afternoon. Why do you still get so nervous when I mention it?" he asked as she gulped her drink.

Sweat pouring down her face, she replied "I..I..just. It's hard not melting at the sound of you saying it is all. You knowing what I'm talking about. Knowing all my secrets, and how obsessed I was with you. Plus, it doesn't help that I had a dream about you and it the night I was at the homeless shelter with your lame brain cousin." she explained.

"What was it about?" he asked as he leaned in, while remembering she had mentioned not being happy he wasn't there to share her success with.

Rolling her eyes, she explained. "I was president, and having a class reunion. Not only were you not there, no one had ever heard of you before. Apparently, I was the one who solved all our class problems. Then when I went to get a snack, the server said he had never heard of ice cream. That it didn't exist? How is that even possible?" she began to raise her voice as he tried not to laugh.

"Yeah, to live in a world without ice cream? I can't even imagine!" he said wittingly as she exclaimed, "Oh shut up football head, you're missing the point!"

"No, I understand, I just think it's sweet." he replied, reaching across the table for her hand.

 _Arnold my love, so understanding! You're the sweetest dessert of all!_

Their food was then brought to them, as they sat and ate. "I guess you're enjoying it. I don't see you running for the restroom." Arnold pointed out, as Helga willingly looked up from her plate.

"I don't think there are any cow brains in this. If there are, someone's getting their teeth knocked out!" she exclaimed as he once again tried not to laugh. "Even though I felt bad you were sick, I really liked your hair when you returned from the restroom."

"Yeah, I know no one cares for the whole pig tail look." she scowled.

After finishing dinner, the two of them handed the waitress their coupon and headed out the door. Leaving the restaurant, Arnold said "I guess we could have gotten dessert now that I think about it."

"Nah, we already had 'ice cream' earlier. I'm good." she replied. "Whatever you say Helga." he sighed, kissing her head.

"So, what movie are we seeing. Doesn't seem right to see an Evil Twin movie on Valentine's Day." Helga replied as Arnold scratched his head. "Uhhh I saw one on TV called Matchmaker." Arnold suggested as Helga rolled her eyes. "Let me guess, someone signs up for online dating, thinking they can find their 'true love'?" Arnold began to blush at her accuracy. "Pretty much."

"Pttss...alright let's go." she insisted as the two headed for the theater. Approaching the theater, they saw their two best friends.

"Hey Arnold! How come you weren't in school today man? You know Rhonda's gonna kill you if you're not at that shower tomorrow!" Gerald warned him.

"Don't worry Gerald. Helga and I actually skipped, so we could spend the day getting ready for the wedding." Arnold assured him, holding Helga's hand.

"Uh huh? Sure you did." Gelard replied, lifting an eyebrow. Helga pulled her folder out of the bags she and Arnold had been forced to carry around with them all day. "Hey! You wanna volunteer to be a wedding planner, and get this stuff done for us? You be my guest!" she snapped, waving the folder in his face.

Phoebe decided to prevent any further tension by jumping in. "So, what movie have the two of you chosen to see?"

"Well, since it's Valentine's Day, we thought we'd see Matchmaker." Arnold began to blush as Helga quickly jumped in. "Pttss don't look at me, it was his idea."

"Seeing as how Gerald and I haven't decided yet, perhaps the four of us could go together." Phoebe suggested. "Man, I guess. Arnold and I will be having a talk if this thing turns out as bad as it sounds though." Gerald warned them.

"Ya got that right!" Helga crossed her arms, staring at him as Arnold hunched his shoulders.

After buying their tickets, the four of them went to the snack stand. "Man after dropping my sandwich at school today, I feel like I could eat a whole tub of popcorn right now!" Gerald exclaimed as Helga rolled her eyes. "Pttss...sorry I had to miss that!"

"So Pheebs, you enjoying this class president thing?" Helga asked, as she waited for Arnold to return with their drinks. "Oh yes, Helga. Although it's quite a challenge staying on top of everyone's needs and interests for the school year, I'm enjoying the feeling of appreciation I've received from everyone throughout the process." she explained as Helga tried to seem amused.

The boys then returned with the snacks as they headed for the movie. Taking a seat towards the back, they were able to see not too many people were in the theater with them. "Man where is everybody? You'd think this place would be back on Valentines Day?" Gerald wondered as Helga replied "I'm sure the theater is, just not this movie."

"Or perhaps they're all at home with their loved ones. It is a romantic holiday many couples use to spend personal time together." Phoebe added as the others looked in different directions.

The movie then began as Helga thought to herself _I wonder just how lame this thing's going to be_

Half way through it, Arnold noticed Helga's eyes hadn't left the screen. He began rubbing her thigh, although it seemed as though that couldn't even grab her attention. Gerald and Phoebe were holding hands, once he finally decided to set aside the popcorn. When Helga eventually noticed what Arnold was doing, she put her hand on top of his, as she whispered, "What kind of matchmaker do you think you are?"

As he sat back and thought about all the times he helped their friends, he couldn't recall a time he was successful setting them up with someone (let alone himself). "I guess not a very good one." he replied as he stopped rubbing her leg.

Hearing this, she at last gave him her full attention as she turned away from the movie and kissed him. "I wouldn't say that." she replied, making him blush.

When the movie was over, the four of them headed outside. Arnold looked at Helga holding her backpack as he said "Well, I guess it's safe to go home now."

"We should probably get going too." Gerald admitted, giving Arnold their secret handshake.

The two couples then went their separate ways, as Arnold took Helga's hand. "That wasn't such a bad movie afterall, football head." she admitted. "I figured you'd say that, when I noticed you weren't able to take your eyes off the screen." Arnold laughed, seeing her glare at him.

"Hey! It was big and bright. Not to mention loud! Where else was I supposed to look?" she exclaimed.

Giving her half lidded eyes, he sighed. "Whatever you say Helga."

Making it back to the boarding house, Arnold expected to see someone in the kitchen. As he took Helga in there, all he saw was a box of half eaten chocolates. "My dad must have gotten these for my mom. Maybe he took her out somewhere afterwards."

"Hopefully not to that cheap movie." she scowled, with a hand on her hip. Ignoring her response, Arnold grabbed the box. "Come on, let's go to my room." Helga's eyes widened when she saw him grab the candy. "Won't he wonder where it is?" she asked in a worried tone.

"Nah. I've learned a few things about my parents over the years, and one is that they don't eat as many sweets as I do. That or they're not as greedy about it as my grandpa is." he replied.

Smirking at him, she replied "The old man and I may have more in common than I thought."

As they made it upstairs, she took the box to his bed and started to dig in, before he had a chance to look at them. "Is this what our kids will be like? They don't know how to share?" Arnold pointed out, as she slowly set one down. "Hey! If I'm the parent, I can raise my kid however I like! Besides, just because I don't share, doesn't mean I can't tell them they have to be like that." she countered.

He moved closer, smiling at her. Not caring that he was about to miss his chance at getting a piece, he replied "That seems pretty hypocritical." Rolling her eyes, she held out her hand. Fine! You want the last piece? Mr. Sharesman!"

Taking it from her, he set it down, continuing to stare. She looked at him, glaring. "Well, are you going to eat it?"

"I think I've got something sweeter in front of me." he replied, as he pulled her head close to him. Sucking her tongue, he wanted to tell her how sweet she tasted.

She began to tremble, forgetting about the candy as she got lost in the moment.

 _Oh Arnold my love. How could I ever question our relationship? What would I have done if I didn't have you beside me to hold on this romantic day each year? I don't deserve you. Yet, is that not how everyone feels about their soulmate? They are not good enough to be with them. Was it just as selfish of me to break your heart by leaving as it was for me to stay? Curse my unsteady behavior. You are the thing which keeps me together._

Letting go of her, he asked "I felt you trembling. More so than usual. Was something on your mind?"

Looking down, she began to blush. "You know what it was." Before he could say anything she added, "Do you think of how happy you are to be with me when you kiss me?"

As his eyes began to widened, he gripped her hands tightly. "Of course I do...I'm just not as good a poet as you." he blushed as she rolled her eyes.

"Well, we never did hear Simmons reading one of your's in class I guess." she admitted. "Whatever you say Helga." he replied, shaking his head at her. She then handed him the last chocolate, saying to him "See, I can share."

Rolling his eyes at her, he ate his candy. "It's still not as sweet as you." he replied as she gave a lovesick sigh. The two then got ready for bed. As they got under the covers, Arnold kissed her good night and said "We better make sure to be rested for the party tomorrow." Helga rolled her eyes as she replied. "Yeah, wouldn't want Princess getting her panties all up in a twist."

The next morning, the two awoke knowing it was the day of their wedding shower. Arnold rolled over to nudge Helga "Hey, get up sweetie. We have to get ready for the party." She wasn't much of a morning person, but knew she had to get ready.

As they got dressed, Arnold said "We have to remember to ask everyone if they got their information together for the toasts." Helga snarled as she replied "If I know Princess, she's way ahead of you on that."

The two went downstairs to see the family eating breakfast.

"Hey you two. We didn't get to see you last night. How'd the wedding planning go?" Stella asked.

"It was good. We're going to the shower today. Hopefully, we'll have some more information for it by the time the day is over." Arnold replied as he and Helga took a seat.

"Sounds great son!" Miles said, as Helga rubbed her eyes. She was having a hard time waking up.

"Are you okay dear? You don't look too good?" Stella asked full of concern. "I'm fine. I just didn't get much sleep. That's what happens when I eat too much sugar" she replied.

"I told you not to eat too much candy." Arnold said pridefully, smiling at her. She immediately glared at him as she replied. "Hey! You never said not to eat it...you said to eat slowly!"

His parents couldn't help but laugh as Miles looked over at Phil clearing his plate. "Don't worry, not all people eat slowly." Miles said.

"Anyway, we better be going. Rhonda won't be too happy if we're late." Arnold said, helping Helga up. "See you guys later."

"Bye sweetie, have a good time!" Stella said, as they waved goodbye.

Making it outside, Arnold took Helga's hand, actually looking forward to the wedding shower. "I know you're not happy about seeing Rhonda, but it's nice they're doing this for us."

Rolling her eyes and holding her head, she replied that's not who I'm worried about seeing there. "Haven't you gotten used to seeing your sister yet?" he asked, knowing she probably just didn't want a dramatic event to occur like the one taking place at the engagement party.

"That's not who I'm talking about!" she exclaimed as he went through the list in his mind. _Gerald, Phoebe, Rhonda, Sid, Stinky, Arn…_

"Oh! I completely forgot! I don't know if it's too late to cancel though?" Arnold exclaimed, now being more worried than she was. "All I can say is, if he comes near me, HE'S going to be your new bride!" Helga exclaimed, beginning to wake up.

The two made it to Rhonda's, seeing other guests had already started to arrive. Rhonda was opening the door for Nadine, so they didn't have to stand and wait.

When they walked in, Arnold pointed out Olga was already sitting in the living room on the couch. "Why don't you go say hi. I know she misses you."

Rolling her eyes, she sneered "Fine!" Helga then stomped into the living room, taking a seat beside her older sister.

"Baby sister! How have you been? Did you like the shoes?" Olga exclaimed, as Helga gasped for air. Pushing her off, Helga scooted an inch away as she replied "Yeah, yeah, they were great."

Happy to talk to her, Olga replied "Are you excited about the wedding?" Helga crossed her arms as she wittingly replied "Yeah, it's like a dream come true!"

"Oh that's just too perfect! You should let me do your hair and makeup!" Olga insisted as Helga's eyes widened. "Uh thanks, but we've already got that taken care of. Rhonda 'my wedding coordinator' has picked out a place." she glared.

Meanwhile, Arnold was talking to Gerald by the punch bowl. "So man, you're tying the knot in three months. How do you feel?!" Arnold took a sip of his drink as he replied "I'm a little nervous. Not as nervous as Helga's been I don't think."

Raising an eyebrow, Gerald replied "I still don't believe you about her and this insecurity business. There's no way someone that overbearing could feel that uncomfortable around someone she claims to love as much as you say she does."

"Gerald…" Arnold sighed as Gerald held his hands up. "Relax I'm just joking."

Just then, a knock came to the door. Rhonda opened it to see Arnie standing there. "Snort. I brought gum. Snort. Plain flavored gum."

Turning her nose up at him, Rhonda allowed Arnie to walk passed her. Arnold turned and whispered to Gerald. "I'm worried he might try something with Helga again."

"Just don't let him sit with her, or talk to her, or stand by her, or...okay maybe this won't be so easy. She has not interest in him though. You have nothing to worry about." Gerald insisted as Arnold replied "Maybe, but she still doesn't want him near her." Gerald's eyes widened as he replied "Can you blame her?"

Everyone took a seat in the living room, as Rhonda began to speak. "I'd like to thank you all for coming to the shower I worked so hard to set up! I believe Arnold has something to say." she pointed as he set his drink down.

"Well, Helga and I were going over the list of people who would be giving toasts at the wedding. I don't know if you're aware there's one big toast that will include something from all of you."

Sid then interrupted to say. "Yeah! She went up to us all at school yesterday and said we better write our parts and have them ready to hand in at the shower today!"

"Extra homework on a Friday night! Now that ain't right!" Stinky said.

"I believe the purpose was to make everyone feel included, rather than to make things difficult." Phoebe explained.

"I thought it was just ever so sweet of her to think to include us like this." Lila suggested.

"She made us start writing it at lunch time though! We didn't get to finish our food!" Harold whined.

Helga sat up as she scowled "Oh suck it up, you bunch of whiners! Sheesh!"

Listening from across the room, Arnie replied "Snort. I didn't write my part." Everyone looked over as Arnold replied "Uhh that's okay Arnie. Don't worry about it."

Rhonda then collected everyone's papers as she went over them. "I suppose these are acceptable. I'll have them typed into a single copy. Then, Arnold, your family will just make sure to bring their toasts to the wedding. Helga your fami...I mean Olga, will do that as well.

Helga rolled her eyes at Rhonda's attempt to make her look bad. She felt it was already obvious her parents didn't care about the wedding, let alone her. There was no reason to add more attention to it.

"Now, last night, I made the event schedules so they would be ready for the bride and groom to pass out to their vendors."

Makeup and Hair - Arrival Time

Ceremony - 3:00

Entrance - After Ceremony

Photos - 4:30

Bouquet - 5:30

Toasts - 6:30

Cake - 7:30

Dances - 8:00

"Gosh Rhonda, you certainly are on top of things!" Sheena said, as Rhonda smiled. "I know, I'm just that good!"

"Oh give me a break." Helga muttered to herself as she then noticed Arnie eyeing her from across the room. She gulped, wondering how often she was going to have to see him after the wedding.

Arnold then noticed the two staring at each other, as he went over to grab Arnie. "Hey Arnie, let's go outside a moment."

"Snort. Okay." he replied.

The two stood outside Rhonda's house "Look Arnie, I have to ask, what exactly were you hoping would happen when you took Helga back to the shelter with you?" Arnold asked, preparing himself for the worst.

"Snort. Well, she knows how I feel. Snort. I thought she would start to feel the same way. Snort. After I showed her the clubs I showed her. Snort. Then she could sleep next to me, and we could talk about lint. Snort. Then we could chew gum together." Arnie explained, not caring how he must have made Arnold feel.

Arnold's eyes widened as he replied "You do realize we are getting married. I mean, this is a wedding shower. You can't do that with someone else's fiance."

"Snort. I think it's up to Helga." Arnie said as Arnold began to walk away.

"Look, I've tried to be nice about this, but I just can't anymore. If you make her feel uncomfortable in any way again, you're uninvited to the wedding!" Arnold warned him as he went back inside. Arnie walked away, no longer caring about Helga...for the time being.

Arnold walked in as Rhonda was ready to grad him. "Come on! We're ready to open the presents!"

The couple sat on the couch opening gifts that mainly turned out to be for the kitchen. Helga sat their thinking to herself _Unless football head can cook, I hope they all kept the receipts._

Once the party ended, everyone started heading for the door. Olga gave Helga one of her suffocating hugs, as she squealed "I can't wait to see you again baby sister!"

"Yeah...can't wait to see you either!" Helga said wittingly as Arnold rolled his eyes at her. He wasn't sure how to feel. Part of him understood her resentment. Another part of him couldn't understand why she wasn't trying to make things right between them.

As the two of them were heading out, Rhonda stopped them. "Well you two, we've finished everything we needed to for this month! Next month we will be only two months away from the wedding. We can use spring break to get everything done for it, since we're doing such an amazing job staying ahead of schedule!"

"Sounds great! See you at school!" Arnold waved, as he and Helga headed home.

The two of them looked at their event schedule list as Helga said "I can't believe how into this stuff she gets."

"Yeah, but thank goodness she does. It's only five, you want to run these schedules to all the vendors?" Arnold suggested grabbing her hand. Shrugging her shoulders, she replied "Eh, why not."

As they were approaching the boarding house, they saw Mr. Green outside his shop. "Hey Mr. Green." Turning around, he replied "Hey Arnold! How are you?"

"Not bad. Helga and I just went to our wedding shower." Arnold explained, as he handed the schedule to the butcher. "You're almost to the wedding! I'll make sure to bring my finest cuts of meat!" Mr. Green assured him, as the kids headed for the flower shop.

Making it there, the two saw Mrs. Vitello watering the plants in the window. "Hey Mrs. Vitello!" Arnold said, as she looked over. "Hey Arnold! Don't worry, I'll have your plants ready for the wedding. Maybe you should think about wearing some pink yourself." she winked as he began to blush. "Uhhh maybe. Here, we brought you the event schedule for that day." he handed it over as she smiled. "Thanks! Can't wait!"

"Well I guess that leaves Band Boy and Photo Freak." she pointed out. "I guess we can go to Dino's first. I'm sure he'll be home." Arnold insisted as the two made it to his house.

Knocking on the door, Dino opened it. "Hey Arnold! How's it going?"

"Umm pretty good. We just wanted to give you a copy of the event schedule."

"Great! Thanks Kid! Bye the way, Mayor Dixie says she'd love to meet with your little friend here. Maybe do an internship." Dino said as Helga's eyes widened.

"Really?!" Arnold asked excitedly. "Yeah, she said if you want to start in September, ya know, after your school schedule's set, that'd be good. Anyway, talk to ya later kid!" Dino said, as the two walked away. Arnold looked at her smiling. He felt a sense of relief, knowing they would be able to get married, and her dreams would have a way of being fulfilled.

"It's starting to get late. Maybe we should just email this to Fred. I can't believe we didn't think to do that to begin with!" Helga smirked as the two headed back to the boarding house.

As the two headed home, Helga noticed how quiet Arnold was. "You okay?" He looked over at her and replied "I was just thinking about how uncomfortable Arnie was making you at the party. I told him if he did that to you again, he'd uninvited to the wedding." she began to smile at how much he looked out for her. "Then I began to worry about how much we may see him after that. I mean, he's eventually going back to live with my family, so it would rarely ever happen. I still don't like the idea of him seeing you though." he said sadly.

Seeing how upset he was, she replied "Don't worry, we'll eventually have our own place. Then we won't have to worry about it."

He turned to kiss her. After letting her go, he replied "I didn't feel you trembling. Were you not reciting a poem in your mind?" She smiled as she leaned her head against his shoulder. "Nah, just enjoying the moment."

As the two made it back to the boarding house, Helga exclaimed "Crimety! I can finally put this junk down!" Arnold looked at her, rubbing the back of his neck he replied "Yeah, I'm sorry, I should have brought the car this morning."

She glared, "Ya think?! I don't even know what we're going to do with all this? You can't cook, and I'm no Martha Stuart!" she said irritably.

He went over, rubbing her shoulders. "Don't worry about it for now. Let's just get some sleep. You didn't get any last night, so it shouldn't be too hard for you."

Making it to his room, she immediately got in bed as she watched him on the computer. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"I'm sending the schedule to Fred. Like you said, Rhonda insists we stay on top of things." Arnold pointed out, before changing his clothes. By the time he slipped under the covers, she had practically drifted off. Kissing her lips, he whispered "Good night sweetie. Less than three more months."


	39. Chapter 39

Chapter 39: Who's Handling The Cooking?

2 Months Before The Wedding

Arnold and Helga woke up Saturday morning, the middle of March, and the start of their spring break. "So, what does Rhonda have planned for us this month?" Helga rubbed her eyes as she sighed at him "It's as if no one ever taught you to read?" she smirked, grabbing their wedding folder. He smiled, knowing she had a point.

"Well, we're supposed to speak to all the vendors, band, photographer, send out the invites, submit the newspaper announcement, and the bachelorette party will be tomorrow." Helga read as Arnold stopped her. "I thought you already did the invites?"

"Those were the wedding shower invites." Helga sighed as she corrected him. He gave a confused look, as he replied "Didn't you two already have me check with everyone to make sure they're coming?"

Feeling agitated she explained, "We still have to pass out the actual 'Save the Dates' unless she did it at school already? Heck I can't keep up with her!"

"I'm pretty sure she passed them out already. Remember, you came stomping into the cafeteria to tell me Amanda was writing a poem about you?" Arnold reminded her.

"Gee, thanks for bringing that up!" she scoffed. "Well, I guess that's one thing we can cross off the list. I really don't see why we need to speak to any of these other people. They seem more anxious about the wedding than we are."

"How about Gerald and I check with everybody, while you and the girls submit the newspaper announcement?" Arnold suggested.

Helga shrugged her shoulders as she replied "Eh, works for me." The two then got up to get dressed as Arnold thought to himself _Just two more months until I'm married! Seems like just yesterday she was throwing spitballs at my head!_

"Well I'll meet you downstairs for breakfast Mr. Takes Half and Hour to Get Ready!" she informed him. Arnold quickly hurried, knowing she had a point.

When the two made it downstairs, they saw Pookey acting out her famous safari escapade with a flyswatter, while Phil stared at his plate of eggs, hoping she wouldn't end up swatting him.

"Hey shortman! What's up?" Phil asked as the kids joined him at the table. "Well, we've only got two months left until the wedding!"

"Yep! I better get a front row seat! You can stick her in the back somewhere." He said, pointing to Pookey.

Arnold rolled his eyes as he added "Helga's going with Rhonda and Phoebe to submit the newspaper announcement while Gerald and I call to make sure everyone is still helping with the wedding."

"Ooohhh the newspaper! Would ya like a shot of me to put next to your announcement?" Phil asked, laughing at his own joke.

"Uhh no thanks grandpa." Arnold replied as he watched Helga get up. "Are you leaving already?"

"Yeah, I just texted Phoebe. Apparently Rhonda had already planned on doing that today. Guess I better get over there." she sighed as Arnold's eyes widened. It impressed him more and more how on top of things Rhonda was.

"Oh, well have a good time I guess?" he insisted, sad to see her go so soon.

"Thanks, see ya later." she replied, heading out the door. There Phoebe was waiting for her, unexpected. "Good morning Helga, ready to submit your announcement?" she asked as Helga shrugged her shoulders. "I guess. You know I've never been one to enjoy publicly exposing my feelings."

"Should we tell Rhonda to exclude this from the list?" Phoebe suggested as Helga placed a hand on her hip. "Pttss...are you kidding? We'd never hear the end of it!"

The two then made it to Rhonda's as they saw her anxiously awaiting them. "Since when does she have the courtesy to wait outside for someone?" Helga muttered to herself.

"There you girls are!" she exclaimed, running up to them. "I cannot wait to submit this! It's good enough to be in the New York Times announcements!"

Phoebe smiled as she replied "I'm sure it's wonderful Rhonda."

Rhonda handed it over as Helga read it. She couldn't help but blush at the accuracy of how much she and Arnold meant to each other. "Eh, it'll do I guess."

"Well, what are we waiting for?! Let's go submit it!" Rhonda exclaimed as the girls slowly followed.

Meanwhile, Arnold had just left the boarding house to see Gerald waiting for him. "Hey man, I'm ready to check with those wedding vendors. The food better not back out on us!" Gerald insisted.

"That reminds me, we'll need to make sure to have a few pizzas at the wedding." Arnold said.

"What for?" Gerald wondered. "My grandpa's been kind of obsessed with it ever since that night you and Helga had that contest. Don't ask." Arnold blushed as Gerald raised an eyebrow "Whatever you say Arnold."

The two then stopped in Green Meats, where they saw Mr. Green at the counter. "Hey Mr. Green. We just came to do one final check for the wedding!" he said embarrassed that he had mentioned it so many times. "Don't worry! I've got the event schedule and the best meat selected! I'm looking forward to it!" Mr. Green replied as the boys left the shop.

Feeling as though it may be pointless to continue, Arnold decided to continue on over to the flower shop with Gerald. Walking up to the counter, he saw Mrs. Vitello counting the change in the drawer. "Hi Mrs. Vitello. I'm just doing one final check for the wedding." he informed her.

She smiled at him, replying "I've got you marked on my flower decorated calendar. Would you boys like one? I've got quite a few." she offered as they looked at each other. "Uhhh no thanks." Gerald replied as the two headed for the door.

"I guess we can start heading over to Dino's now." Arnold pointed out as Gerald followed behind him. After a moment of silence, Arnold asked "Did I tell you Helga's big news?"

Gerald looked at him confused as he replied "No, what is it?"

"Dino got the mayor to agree to give Helga an internship when college starts. I know it's not exactly president, but it's a government job." Arnold tried seeing the good as Gerald shook his head. " .mmm! Arnold, you do too much for that girl!"

"She got my parents back for me, I could never do too much for her!" he replied as Gerald rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say Arnold."

The two then made it to Dino's as Arnold knocked on the door. "Hey Arnold! How's it going?"

"Pretty good. You're still coming to the wedding right?" he asked as Dino replied "Of course, me and Don are practicing right now!" Arnold then pulled a sheet out of his pocket. "I know it's short notice, but I have a request. This is the song Helga and I did the tango to in fourth grade. Do you think you could play it for us? There aren't any lyrics." Arnold requested as he showed it to Dino.

"Of course! Sounds great kid. See ya at the wedding" Dino replied, as the boys left.

Walking away, Gerald asked "So, who's left?" Arnold replied "Fred, the photographer. I'm just going to email him." Gerald smiled as he replied "Sounds good to me!"

Back at the newspaper, Rhonda was submitting Helga's announcement. "Crimity! I don't see why this is necessary?" Helga scowled, crossing her arms.

"Because, we want the world to know what a loving couple the two of you are about to become!" Rhonda replied.

"Are you sure it's not because you want the world to know what an awesome wedding planner you've always been?" Helga muttered to herself.

Phoebe touched her best friend's shoulder, as she added "Don't worry Helga. It's not like anyone would make fun of you. Our friends already know you're getting married. Anyone who's not our friends wouldn't care to make fun of you for it."

Helga dropped her arms and sighed. "I guess so."

After submitting it, Rhonda proudly replied "There! It's done! Now the only thing left on the list for this month is the bachelorette party! Which we'll be holding tomorrow."

Helga was happy to be counting down the list in her mind. It had been a long few months for her. Not just with tasks for the wedding to complete, but with the way her emotions for Arnold had bounced back and forth.

"Sounds great Princess. See ya tomorrow!" Helga scoffed, as she exited the building.

Helga could feel her stomach rumbling as she headed towards the boarding house. She hadn't eaten since breakfast. Making it back, she headed for the kitchen. Sitting on the table, she saw on the new appliances their friends had gotten her and Arnold for their shower. In the cabinets, she saw mashed potatos, pasta, and a few other things that didn't seem like they would be too hard to make. _I guess I could try to cook myself something. I mean, any idiot can stir something!_

Helga boiled the water, reading the directions on the box. Watching the temperature that needed to be set, and how long everything needed to cook for. _Hey, maybe I WILL be able to cook for us after all!_

Just then she heard the door open, and Arnold came into the kitchen. "Helga?" she whipped her head around as she screamed "Arnold? I mean, what are you doing here football head!"

"Well, it's not like I live here or anything." he said wittingly, as she rolled her eyes at him. "Are you actually cooking?" he continued, while she couldn't help but blush. "Yeah, what's it to ya?"

He gazed at her with half lidded eyes, when suddenly, potatos began to pop from the pot. "What's going on! Ahh!" She screamed, trying to fix the problem. Arnold ran over to remove the pot from the stove. "I think you just boil the water, then pour in the mix after you take it off the stove." he explained. She began to blush as she handed him the spoon "That's it, you're doing the cooking when we're married!"

"Whatever you say Helga." he smiled, as he grabbed a napkin to wipe her face with. "Maybe we don't need a baby. I can just let you cook and clean you up every night." he laughed as she glared at him. "Shut up Arnoldo!" she threatened as he went to turn off the stove.

Making their plates, with what didn't end up on her face, he sat at the table with her. "So, are you going to cook for us every night? Now that you know something about the stove?" he asked, knowing he was pushing his luck.

Rolling her eyes, she replied "How about you make dinner, and I'll worry about _dessert!"_

As they finished up their plates, he stared at the sink. Then added "Or, I could worry about the cooking, and you worry about the cleaning."

"Whatever floats your boat football head." she sighed, heading upstairs.

When they made it upstairs, Helga fell back on her the bed, rubbing her stomach. Arnold went straight to the computer to email Fred. "I guess next month we won't have to worry about bugging anyone about this stuff anymore!" Arnold pointed out as Helga barely flinched.

He walked over to the bed to lay down beside her laying an arm across her stomach. Rubbing it for her, he said "Maybe one day there will be a kid inside there."

She turned her head towards him, not opening her eyes. "I'm too full to think about putting anything else in there right now."

Kissing her, he rested his head beside her. The two then passed out together, only having their bachelorette and bachelor parties left on the list to complete that month.


	40. Chapter 40

Chapter 40: Sweeter and Sweeter

The next morning, they awoke with Helga's stomach feeling much more settled. "Morning Helga. How's your stomach?" She smiled at him, replying "I don't feel like I'm carrying a kid inside me anymore."

As the two sat up, she asked "So, are you having a bachelor party, while Rhonda throws me this girly shindig?" Arnold responded as he dressed himself. "Gerald and I are just going to go to the arcade with the guys."

She sighed as she continued getting dressed. "Wanna switch?"

Rolling his eyes, he replied "You get to drink and open gifts. I'll be playing video games. I think your party will be better than mine."

Standing to push him, she scowled "Oh, what do you know Arnoldo!"

Trying not to lost his balance he held onto her. Unfortunately, his plan didn't work, and the two went tumbling across the floor. As he laid on top of her, she sighed "Well, this seems familiar."

After a moment of remaining down there, she added "So, you gonna get up or what? I didn't read anything on the invites about the party being on your floor, football head!"

He leaned in closer as he whispered "Maybe you just weren't looking close enough." Not knowing how to responded to that, she stayed still as he kissed her deeply. Sliding his hands under her shirt, she shook her head, "We just got dressed. You're already trying to undress me?"

Getting off of her, he held out a hand. "You're right. We'll save it for later." he replied, winking at her. She blushed heavily as she said "Let's go get something to eat. I'm starving!"

Shaking his head, he replied "Don't eat too fast OR too much. AND watch how much sugar you have!"

She turned to glare at him. "Who are you, Food Patrol?!"

As the two made it to the breakfast table, they saw bacon egg and cheese sandwiches with sausage on the side. "Man, your family really goes all out, don't they?" Helga said, sitting beside her beloved.

"I think grandma's too wrapped up in her own world to think of cooking as a chore." Arnold replied as the two of them dug in.

Seeing Helga about to finish her sandwich before he had hardly begun his, he began to rub her leg. She looked over at him with a mouth full, raising part of her eyebrow. As she finished her bite, she asked "What are you doing?"

"Trying to distract you from your appetite." he laughed as she smirked "Very funny football head!"

Watching her finish her sandwich, he said "Just don't get sick again tonight. I want to look at all the presents with you."

"Yeah, yeah! I know that's code for 'It scares me being awake by myself.'" she countered as Phil nearly spit out his sandwich. "Haha she got you there shortman!"

Arnold rolled his eyes as he watched Helga leave the boarding house. Making it out the door, she saw her best friend waiting for her. "Good morning Helga. Ready for your party?"

"I guess. At least at this one, I won't have to worry about seeing football head's lame-o cousin helicopter head!" she smirked

When they arrived at Rhonda's, she wasn't waiting outside to grace them with her presence. Knocking on the door, they saw Rhonda with tears in her eyes. "Rhonda, what's wrong?" Phoebe asked, as Helga just assumed some of her finger sandwiches had spilled on the floor.

"Girls, I've been keeping in contact with Tracey! She just cancelled on us however! Something important has come up and now we don't have anyone to do Helga's hair and makeup for the wedding!" Rhonda exclaimed as the girls followed her in. Plopping down on the couch, Rhonda sat with her head in her hands as Phoebe suggested "Helga, why don't you see if Olga could fill in?"

Helga glared as she replied "Are you kidding me? I don't need her helping out anymore than necessary that day!"

"Helga! This is imperative! We need a stylist, and Olga is the closest thing to it!" Rhonda jumped in, as Helga crossed her arms. "Fine, I'll ask when she gets here. Crimity!"

Not long after that, the girls started arriving. As Rhonda opened the door, they entered with the gifts and drinks they had brought for the party.

"Gosh Rhonda! I'm just ever so happy to be here!" Lila exclaimed as she went to look for Helga. Lila entered the living room, as she saw Helga talking to Phoebe. "Hello girls. I'm ever so excited about the wedding!" Lila assured them as Phoebe nodded. "We too are looking forward to it. In fact, we were just discussing who will be doing Helga's hair and makeup."

"Have you not found a stylist yet?" Lila asked concerned, as Helga rolled her eyes. "Apparently, Rhonda's reliable beauty queen cancelled, so I'll have to settle for Olga. Assuming she can do it, that is."

"I'm sure she'll do an oh so perfect job Helga." Lila insisted as Helga crossed her arms. "It wouldn't be perfect if it wasn't Olga doing it."

As Sheena entered the room, she placed a crown on top of Helga's head. "At the April Fool's Dance at P.S.118, the school almost decided to have a Queen of Fools. This crown was going to be used in the event."

"Perfect." Helga muttered to herself, as they heard a knock on the door. "Surprise! I'm here for my baby sister's bachelorette party!" Olga exclaimed as Helga thought to herself _What makes her think it's a surprise if she was on the guest list?_

"Thank goodness you're here! We have an urgent question to ask you!" Rhonda exclaimed as she shut the door.

"Oh dear, what is it? Is everything okay?" Olga asked worriedly.

Rhonda looked in Helga's direction, as Helga crossed her arms. "No, it's absolutely terrible. The makeup artist canceled. The only way life can possibly go on is if you take over that day and do everything for me." Helga snarled wittingly.

Ignoring her sarcasm as usual, Olga rushed over to hug her sister. "Oh baby sister! Of course I'll do your makeup! Your hair as well! Just leave everything to me!"

Rhonda sighed with relief. "Well girls, now that that is taken care of, we can start having fun! We're going to play 'Finish the Sentence.' Since she knows Helga best, I had Phoebe make these last night."

"Question 1: Arnold likes it when Helga…"

"Yells?" Sheena guessed

"Threatens people?" Nadine wondered

 _Crimety, this is humiliating!_ Helga thought to herself, as she leaned back in her seat.

"Holds his hand?" Lila guessed, as Phoebe nodded "Precisely."

"Question 2: Arnold's favorite trait Helga possesses…"

"Her stubbornness?" Rhonda said, as Phoebe glared. "What it's an….admirable quality I suppose." Rhonda added defensively.

"Oh! She's always been so poetic." Olga exclaimed, raising her hand. Phoebe nodded, as she replied "Correct"

"Question 3: Arnold enjoys it when he does what with Helga?"

"Looks for bugs?" Nadine guessed.

"Dances?" Sheena asked eagerly.

"Well gosh, I'm sure he loves doing everything with her just ever so much!" Lila guessed as Phoebe smiled "You are quite right!"

Helga's face began to relax as she thought about how much she and Arnold love each other.

"Alright girls! It's time for the presents!" Rhonda pointed out, as she brought them to the room.

Unlike the last party, this one didn't include anything for the kitchen. "Oh baby sister, open mine first!" Olga exclaimed, as she handed Helga the box. She opened it to see a blue heart shaped necklace. "I forgot you needed something blue to wear, after I gave you my shoes!" Olga said eagerly, as Helga gave a weak smile. "Gee thanks Olga." Hearing that brought joy to Olga's heart, as she gave Helga one of her usual squeezes.

Meanwhile, the guys were at the arcade, letting Arnold enjoying his last few weeks of being a single man.

"Aww gee, I done wrecked my car!" Stinky whined, as he put another quarter into the machine.

"So Arnold, are you ready to be married?" Eugene asked, waiting for Arnold's response. "Yeah, I think Helga and I will…." before finishing, Eugene slipped on a receipt someone had left on the floor. "I'm okay!"

"You sure you want him as an usher?" Gerald asked, as Arnold rubbed his neck. "Not much I can do about it now I guess."

"You're a bold kid Arnold. A bold kid." Gerald replied, as the two stood by the air hockey table.

"Hey no fair! Your hand pushed the puck out of the way!" Harold exclaimed as Sid replied "My hand was nowhere near it?"

"Arnold! Sid's not following the rules!" Harold whined as Arnold shrugged his shoulders. "What do you want ME to do about it?"

"It's your stupid party! Can't you kick him out or something?!" Harold exclaimed.

"I don't own the arcade Harold." Arnold pointed out as the guys tried not to laugh.

"Aww gee. That's it, I'm leaving. I'm too hungry to play this stupid game anyway!" Harold exclaimed as the boys rolled their eyes.

"How do you think Helga's enjoying her party?" Gerald asked, already knowing the answer.

"Hopefully more than the last two. I'm just glad Arnie won't be at this one with her." Arnold replied as Gerald shook his head. "Mm..mm..mmm. That kid's weirder than Eugene is clumsy."

"I know! Well, things are starting to die down here. I think I'm going to go home and wait for Helga. I'll see you later Gerald." Arnold said, as he gave him their secret handshake.

Making it home, Arnold went upstairs planning to lay across his bed and stare at the stars through his see through ceiling. He opened the door to see someone had already stolen his idea. "Helga? You're home already?"

"Yeah, party's over." she replied, rolling over to face him.

"How'd it go?" he asked, as he came to sit beside her. "Thankfully, no one gave us any cooking appliances."

"I see they made you a queen." he replied, pointing to the crown. Full of embarrassment, she pulled it off and replied "Crimity! I forgot I was still wearing it!"

Throwing it across the room, she sighed as he asked "So, what all happened?"

"Well, apparently the makeup artist canceled on us, so now Olga will be doing my makeup." she began as Arnold interrupted "That's nice of her."

"Pttss...if you say so!" she added.

"Oh, I got my something blue now." she showed him, pulling out Olga's necklace. "Wow! Who gave you that?" he asked in amazement as Helga rolled her eyes. "Who do you think?"

"Olga?" he asked as she put it away. "You got it bucko!"

"Anything else fun happen?" he wondered as he placed his arm around her. Wondering when he would get the message that none of that was fun, she replied "We played some stupid game Rhonda and Pheebs made up about how you feel about me."

"What did they say?" he asked, full of amusement. "You like holding my hand, how poetic I am, and doing everything with me. Basically anything a guy would like about a girl. Which I felt made the game pointless." she replied as he kissed her unexpectedly.

"They know us pretty well, it sounds like." he said, as she began to blush. "Yeah, I guess so." Arnold began going through the gifts she was given until he came across one that really caught his eye. "Are these what I think they are?"

"Edible panties. Yeah, don't ask who gave them to me." she warned him as he did his best not to laugh. "Are you going to try them on for me?"

Her eyes widened as she replied "Uhh I guess I could."

When she stood in front of him wearing nothing but the edible underwear, he said "You just get sweeter and sweeter."

"Pttss...not according to our classmates." she replied as he pulled her closer. "I don't care about them right now." he said, beginning to nibble on the candy. He ran his hands up and down her waist, massaging her body, as he ate around her lower parts. By the time he was finished, her face was as red as the candy. "We'll have to thank who gave those to us." he insisted as she smirked "Whatever you say football head!"


	41. Chapter 41

Chapter 41: Your Problems Are My Problems

1 Month Before The Wedding

It was now one month before the wedding. Arnold and Helga sat at the kitchen table one Saturday morning reviewing the list of things Rhonda said was necessary to complete that month. "It looks like most of these are for the two of us to do, rather than you and the girls." Arnold pointed out.

Helga reviewed what was on the list: Enter RSVP's, Get marriage license, stock the bar, assign seating, purchase bridesmaids gifts, write vows.

"Well, Princess will probably have some fancy way of entering the RSVP's set up on her computer. The only other thing I can think to do with her is stock the bar. Although I don't see what say we'd have in it since one it's a hotel bar and two we're underaged!" Helga scowled

Arnold laughed "Yeah, but you never know what tricks she might have up her sleeve. Why don't you go over there to work on those things. While you're gone, I'll work on my vows." he suggested as she got up to call Phoebe.

Ring...Ring...Ring…

"Hello"

"Hey Pheebs."

"Hello Helga"

"Rhonda's lame list suggests we enter all the RSVP's onto her impressive website. Wanna head over their with me?"

"Certainly Helga."

"Meet ya there."

"Meeting!"

Helga put down the phone as she looked at Arnold. "Well, I guess I'll leave you to your vows. They better bring everyone to tears football head, or my fist will bring you to tears!"

"Whatever you say Helga." he sighed as she headed out the door.

Making it outside, she thought to herself _Criminty! What am I going to say in MY vows! My best words are when I'm poetic. Nobody wants to hear that crap at a wedding. Who recites poetry at a ceremony?_

Helga arrived at Rhonda's just as Phoebe did. "Good morning Helga. Has Rhonda already started entering the RSVP's?" Phoebe asked as Helga shrugged her shoulders. "Beats me. I figured I'd show up unannounced."

Knocking on the door, they heard a voice on the other end. Rhonda opened it, as she held a phone up to her ear. "Here she is now!"

Helga heard, wondering what Rhonda could be talking about. As the girls walked in, they took a seat on the couch. A few minutes later, Rhonda hung up the phone.

"What was that all about?" Helga asked, raising part of her eyebrow. "Oh, that was Olga. We were simply chatting about getting your hair and makeup done when we arrive at the beach. I told her everything Tracey promised to do. I'm so going to remove her from my list of favorite stylists after this however!" Rhonda explained as Helga rolled her eyes.

Rhonda walked over to the computer, ready to get to work. "So, what are we working on now?"

Surprised she wasn't already aware, Helga replied "Don't we need to enter in the RSVP's?"

"What do you mean?" Rhonda asked, looking at her concerned.

"Your over-stretched list said to Enter RSVP's!" Helga scowled as Rhonda realized what she meant. "No silly, that just means contacting people who have not yet responded to whether or not they are going to the wedding. In other words, you haven't had any data to enter into whatever system you've been using to keep track of the information."

Helga slapped her face as Rhonda added "From what we know, everyone is coming. Meaning, there's no need for that."

"Well, that's one item taken care of." Phoebe said, looking on the bright side, while noticing her already stressed friend.

"Personally, I feel our focus should be on the hotel" Rhonda insisted as Helga muttered "Right, since Arnold and I won't be there."

"Not that Dino isn't a good singer, but the karaoke bar in the hotel has a much wider selection of music."

While Helga and Phoebe were listening to Rhonda go on about the hotel, Arnold was sitting in the kitchen, writing his wedding vows.

Phil walked in to grab a drink from the fridge, as he noticed Arnold tapping his pencil against the table. "Hey, what's eatin' ya shortman?"

"Nothing grandpa. I'm just trying to make sure I do a good job on my vows." Arnold sighed, as he continued to stare at the paper.

"Ooohhh...wedding vows! I remember the only thing I asked your grandma to promise me was to never put raspberries in anything. Ya see how well that turned out!" Phil exclaimed.

"Thanks grandpa...that helps I guess." Arnold sighed as Phil left the room.

Meanwhile, back at Rhonda's house, Helga was on the verge of ripping her hair out.

"Oh, and we should talk to the bartender about these drinks…" Rhonda began as Helga interrupted "Alright that's it! News flash Princess! What makes you think they'll even serve you one? You're underaged! What you do after Arnold and I leave is your freakin' business! You're not exactly acting like wedding planner of the year right now however by planning your own freakin' party that's going to be taking place AFTER he and I leave the wedding!"

"Helga, this is for ALL the wedding guests, who will be staying at the hotel that night. The bus won't be leaving until the next morning. Not to mention everyone's parents will be there!" Rhonda insisted as Helga clenched her fists.

Seeing they were never going to settle things, Phoebe decided to make a suggestion. "Why doesn't Rhonda simply call the hotel, and request they reserve their finest drinks for the bar that night. That way Helga won't have to worry about any hotel issues and Rhonda will know exactly what to expect that night."

"Sounds good to me. Let's go Pheebs." Helga anxiously grabbed Phoebe, as Rhonda turned her nose up at Helga.

As they stepped outside, Phoebe noticed Helga holding a hand to her head. "Don't worry Helga. I know you're stressed, but there's only one month left of this!"

"Yeah, well it's not going by quick enough!" Helga exclaimed as Phoebe smiled. "I think I know the perfect thing to change your attitude about the situation."

As Phoebe had Helga wondering what it could be, Arnold was now laying on his bed, propped on his pillow, with his notepad in his face. _I vow to be patient with you. I vow to respect your privacy. I vow to make your problems my problems._

While thinking this was the best he could do, Phoebe was sitting in her room with Helga. "Okay Pheebs. What's this awesome activity that's going to get rid of the weekly migraine caused by Princess Pomegranite Martini?!" Helga scowled.

Phoebe pulled out a notepad with a pencil to give to Helga. "Perhaps now is a good time to write your vows. A rough situation such as this may help you think about what Arnold truely means to you."

Helga gulped as she took the items. _Crimity! I can't just start spilling my guts out on the page. Just because everyone finally knows how I feel doesn't mean they need to see me openly express it….does it?_

Helga sat in Phoebe's room, chewing on the end of the pencil. _Are vows really how you feel about the other person, or just things you know you need to change about yourself?_

When it got to be evening time, Helga decided to head home. As she headed down the street, she held the sheet with eraser marks all over it. Staring at it, she thought to herself _Can I really keep these?_

As she made it into the house, she saw everyone eating dinner, except for Arnold. "Helga sweetie, come sit with us!" Stella insisted as she took a seat.

"Where's Arnold?" Helga asked, as she sat with everyone.

"He's been in his room all afternoon. I called him to come down for dinner, but I think he might have fallen asleep." Miles replied, making himself a plate of lasagna.

As Helga made herself a plate, she wondered how much more realistic Arnold's vows were than hers.

Once dinner was over, she headed upstairs to see him sleeping peacefully on the bed. His arm stretched out over his head, which his knee propped in the air.

She went to sit down beside him, brushing the hair out of his face, she bent over to kiss him.

While her lips were on his, she could sense his eyes beginning to flinch. She sat up to see him awake.

"Hey football head, how's it going?" she asked, as he sat up to look at her. Yawning, he replied "Umm not bad. How was your day?" Rolling her eyes, she replied "Fine, once Pheebs and I left Rhonda's place."

Giving her a weak smile, they heard a noise crinkle. She looked behind herself to see she had sat on top of his vows. As she read them to herself, he began to blush. "I know it's not much, If you want me to redo them, I will."

She then gulped as she began to reach into her pocket. Pulling out her list of vows, she handed them to Arnold...

 _I vow to let go of my reputation, I vow to be less secretive, I vow to make your problems my problems._

"I don't know how great I'll be at keeping them, but I vow to try." she promised, as she blushed as heavily as him.

Arnold sat up to kiss her deeply. Holding her, he thought to himself _Did I just tame the dragon? Turn out the light! Put out the fire! Cut off the power! Mute the volume! Take out the trash! Clean the clock! Win the war! Is it wrong to feel so victorious after discussing wedding vows. I feel a bit guilty. I feel…._

"Hey Arnold!" Helga exclaimed as he opened his eyes "Huh? What?"

"I don't know where your mind went to football head. One minute you were kissing me, the next your lips were falling off and dangling in front of me. It was as if you fell asleep on me?!" she exclaimed as he began to blush heavily.

"Oh um...I was just giving that poetry thing you always do a try. I'm obviously not as good a multitasker as you." he explained as she lifted part of her eyebrow.

"YOU...Reciting Poetry? Gimme a break!" she scoffed as he leaned in, "So much for the 'letting go of your reputation.'"

She shouted back, "Hey! My reputation pertains to how I act in public. How I act towards you privately, is still totally up to me!"

Kissing her again, he replied "Whatever you say Helga."

The two laid there holding one another, thinking about how close they were to their wedding date. "We haven't done much to plan for the trip to San Lorenzo?" Helga pointed out.

Arnold opened his eyes, as he replied "I guess you're right. I didn't expect the wedding planning to be such a big deal."

"Pttss...you're telling me!" she exclaimed.

"Does your dad still have that plane they used when they came to rescue us on our field trip?" Arnold asked, hoping not to upset her.

Helga shrugged her shoulders, not caring to know too much about his business. "Probably. If Olga was able to get him the house back, something tells me she also found a way to keep their plane."

"Maybe we could borrow it for the honeymoon?" Arnold suggested, scratching the back of his head.

Remaining silent a moment, Helga replied "I guess I could ask Olga. It's not like she won't be at the wedding anyway."

Smiling at her, Arnold said "We could fly out there the day after we return from the beach. That'll give us time to pack!"

"Okay, but tell that green eyed princess to keep her hands off you this time!" Helga scowled as Arnold rolled his eyes. "I don't speak their language Helga, and all she was doing was showing us the pictures."

"So that means I can put my hands all over whatever weirdo green eyed prince they happen to have over there now?" she countered as he sighed "Sure, why not?"

"Oh shut up Arnoldo!" she scowled, hitting him with a pillow. Arnold smacked her back with another, as the two soon turned their evening of exchanging vows into an evening of exchanging fists. They swung their feather filled weapons at one another until sweat began to form on their faces.

"Okay, you win!" Arnold shouted, as he fell back on the bed with exhaustion. She laid her head on his chest, as she replied "I won before we begun."

Glancing down at her, he responded "How about making 'be a good sport' one of your vows?"

She looked up at his tired green eyes as she felt his heartbeat through his chest. Kissing him, she replied "We'll see."

Not long after that, the two fell asleep. The wedding was drawing closer, which meant the honeymoon was as well.

The next morning, Arnold awoke knowing there were just a couple things left to complete before the week of the wedding. When he sat up, he saw Helga was not beside him. _I guess she's downstairs already?_

Getting up to get dressed, he took a look at the wedding planner. All they had left to complete before the week of the wedding was get their marriage license, assign the seating, and purchase the bridesmaids gifts. _That last one doesn't sound too fun._ He thought to himself, putting the list down.

As he went downstairs, he walked into the kitchen to see Helga talking to Stella.

"Good morning sweetie! How did you sleep?" Stella asked, as Helga sat there with a waffle drenched in syrup.

"Uhh not bad. What are you two up to?" he asked, as Helga continued to stare at her plate. "I was just talking with Helga about taking her shopping for her bridesmaids gifts today!" Stella replied, as Arnold smiled.

"Would you like to come along dear?" she added, making his smile drop. "Uhh no that's okay. Thanks anyway." Helga finally took her eyes off her plate, as she scoffed "Wuss!"

"Well, perhaps you and your father could work on the seating chart while Helga and I are out shopping?" Stella suggested as Arnold replied "Sure, sounds great."

After clearing her plate, Helga sat back down at the table, waiting for Stella to get ready to leave.

Arnold sat beside her, as he asked "So, did my mom know you needed to go shopping, or was it just her idea?"

"She asked what was left on our agenda. When she heard I still had that to do, her eyes lit the way your's used to around Lila's. Now I know where you got that gooey romantic side." Helga scoffed.

It was then Arnold couldn't help but point out to her, "You know Helga, you have more of a gooey, romantic side than anyone in our class, when you think about it."

Glaring at him, she scowled "What the heck are you talking about hairboy?!"

Taking her hand, he replied "You have a poetic response and passionate way of thinking for practically everything. You just hide it."

"What's your point?" she raised part of her eyebrow at him.

"Nothing. I said I was going to respect your privacy, so I'll leave it at that." he said, walking away.

Just then, Stella entered as she asked "Ready to go sweetie?!"

Helga quietly walked over as the two of them left for the mall. As Arnold was heading for his room, he saw Phil and Miles talking in the living room. "Hey shorman! How's it going?" Phil asked, as Miles waved for him to enter the room.

"Pretty good. Helga just went shopping with mom for some bridesmaids' gifts. The only Things we'll have left to do before the week of the wedding are get the marriage license and arrange the seating." Arnold pointed out, as Phil interrupted.

"Don't worry, I already told him to stick us up front and Pookey in the back!"

Miles rolled his eyes as he suggested, "While the girls are shopping, why don't the three of us work on that seating chart?"

Arnold smiled as Phil rubbed his chin. "Oohh I don't know? Do I get paid for it?"

"Uhh does pizza at the wedding count?" Arnold asked, shrugging his shoulders, as Phil jumped from his seat. "Ho boy! Let's get started!"

While the boys were grabbing the list of guests who would be at the wedding, Stella and Helga had just made it to the mall. "You must be so excited about this!" Stella insisted as Helga sighed "I don't know, shopping's not really my thing. I mean I wore the same outfit all through grade school. Heck I've had this bow since the day your son met me!" she blushed after revealing that information.

"You look beautiful with it!" Stella smiled, as the two entered a popular wedding gift store in the mall. "So, what kinds of gifts do your friends like?" Stella asked, reviewing all the merchandise.

Helga stopped to think for a moment. While she knew their personalities well, she didn't exactly know the types of things they would be if they were all out shopping together.

"Uhhh well, I know Princess would like anything fashionable. Pheebs is big on books, although unlike Princess, she's usually grateful for whatever I end up getting her. Nadine would probably like some spray that actually ATTRACTS bugs. Sheena tried to make me eat healthy the week Pheebs left me. I'm tempted to get her a box of nutrition bars. Little Miss Perfect would probably enjoy a date with your nephew. If you'd like to set the two of them up, I think you'd be doing everyone a favor." Helga rambled on, again not realizing how far her thoughts had gone.

"What do you mean, doing everyone a favor? Is Arnie still causing problems?" Stella asked concerned.

Helga gulped, regretting everything she had just said, as she nervously turned to look at Stella. "Well...he hasn't tried anything...um recently."

Stella's eyes grew as she continued to listen.

"It's just every time he's around me, he tries to hook up with me. Plus he told Arnold at the wedding shower he was planning to steal me! I mean, what kind of a moron just flat out reveals that information to their opponent? Sheesh!" Helga scowled, no longer afraid as she threw her arms in the air.

Stella rested her hand on Helga's shoulders, seeing the frustration that had built up inside. "I'm sorry sweetie. We won't let anything happen, and he shouldn't be here much longer."

Helga sighed as the two of them started searching for some suitable gifts for Helga's friends.

Back at the boarding house, the guys were all sitting at the kitchen table. "So, do you have the list of people who will be there?" Miles asked as Arnold placed it on the table.

Phil snatched it, exclaiming "Mamaloni! They better not touch my pizza!"

"Grandpa..." Arnold sighed, as he took back the list.

Placing it on the table, he stared as he replied "I don't think we'll know if Helga's parents are coming until the day of the wedding. I'd like to reserve two seats up front next to Olga for them though."

"Sounds like a good idea." Miles agreed.

"Make sure I'm sitting next to the food!" Phil exclaimed, as Arnold rolled his eyes. "No offense grandpa, but you're starting to sound like Harold."

"Maybe the kid's smarter than you gave him credit for!" Phil countered as they continued with the list.

Meanwhile, Helga was starting to enjoy her time with Stella. "How about a can of Swist for your friend Nadine? Miles and I took it on a few of our expeditions."

Helga looked at it, raising pair of her eyebrow. "What the heck does it do?"

"It's main ingredients are sugar and water. You can spray it on yourself and it will attract all different types of bugs. Mainly mosquitos." Stella replied as Helga gave a repulsed expression.

"Gross! Yep, she'll love it."

The two began looking through the clothes as Helga moaned, "I don't even know what the heck I'm looking for! I don't know anything about fashion. Princess wears a new outfit everyday saying her previous one is already outdated! Sheesh!"

Standing on the other side of the rack, Stella replied "Don't worry sweetie. We all have different tastes when it comes to clothes. When Miles met me, I was wearing khaki shorts and and boots. Similar to you when you and Arnold were together in the jungle." she said as Helga began to blush heavily. "Uhhh right…"

"How about this? Scarves come in handy in the winter, and some girls use them just to look cute." Stella suggested as Helga did not appear amused.

"Well, she was one back in fourth grade when she went on what she considered to be an impressive trip to Aspen. Oh man! She thinks she's so special!" Helga scowled, as she took the scarf.

"I feel like Pheebs is the only one who deserves something special. Rhonda may be the wedding planner, but she did not make this an easy eight months!" she added as Stella placed a hand on Helga's shoulder. "What does your best friend like?"

Looking around the store, Helga looked past the makeup section over to what appeared to be the jewelry section. As she walked over there, she said to Stella "I don't know anymore about this stuff than I do about makeup."

Helping her go through it, Stella replied "I'm sure we'll find something!"

The two kept looking until they at last saw a pink and blue bracelet that said friends forever. Helga was touched by the fact that it had their two favorite colors, while thinking about how Phoebe really had been her best friend since grade school.

Stella came over to see Helga eyeing the bracelet, as she said "That would be a wonderful gift to give to your friend!" Whipping her head around, Helga replied "Eh, I guess it'll do."

As the two stood there, Stella asked "So, who's left on your list of friends?"

Helga placed her hands on her hips, as she thought to herself _I would hardly consider them friends._ "Nadine and Lila. What do you get for a health freak and a perfectionist?"

Stella walked over to the book section, wondering if they had what she was looking for. Helga followed, not having a clue what she was doing. "They have it!" she exclaimed, handing the book to Helga.

"What is this?" she asked, raising part of her eyebrow.

"It's a nutrition book. You're friend Nadine may enjoy it as well. It talks about the protein that comes from bugs." Stella explained as Helga rolled her eyes. "Don't worry, I'm sure she's well aware of it."

The two began circling the store once more, unsure of what to get Lila. "Unless you're willing to give that date with Arnie an okay, I'm about ready to give up on this." Helga said irritably.

"Why don't we invite her over for dinner tonight? You could call and see if she's available." Stella suggested as Helga shrugged her shoulders. "Alright, if it'll speed things along."

Stella smiled as she exclaimed, "Great! You call while I go pay for everything."

Ring...Ring...Ring

"Hello?"

"Hey Lila, it's Helga. You interested in having dinner at Arnold's tonight? Ya know, as payback for helping out with the wedding?"

"I'm ever so certain I would just adore to!"

"Great, see you tonight."

Stella returned with two bags in her hand as she asked, "So, how did it go?" Letting out a weak smile, Helga replied "She practically jumped through the phone!"

Laughing at her description, Stella responded, "Well good. Everything's taken care of. Now we can head home and see how the seating chart is coming along."

Back at the boarding house, guys had gone through practically every drink in the fridge, as they sat there trying to get the chart correct.

"Look, how about this? We do my friends on one side, and Helga's on the other?" Arnold suggested as Phil butted in "Okay...but who gets to sit in front of who?"

Arnold sighed as he put together the order he felt would please everyone. Once he finally finished, he handed it over to his dad. "I think this looks perfect son!" Miles replied as Phil snatched the paper. "What in the blue blazez is your grandma doing up front?" Phil exclaimed.

"Dad, we are not sticking her in the back." Miles sighed as Phil rolled his eyes. "Alright, but if she shows up in a crazy costume, interrupting the ceremony by searching for the Titanic, don't come crying to me!"

Left Side

Row 1: Mom, Dad, You, Grandma

Row 2: Gerald's family

Row 3: Sid's family

Row 4: Sinky's family

Row 5: Harold's family

Row 6: Eugene's family

Right Side

Row 1: Helga's family

Row 2: Phoebe's family

Row 3: Rhonda's family

Row 4: Nadine's family

Row 5: Sheena's family

Row 6: Lila's family

As Arnold reviewed his chart, the girls walked. "We're home!" Stella exclaimed, entering the kitchen with Helga.

"You two seemed to go all out with your shopping!" Miles noticed as the girls set their bags on the table.

"Well, we needed to make sure to get something special for all of Helga's friends. That reminds me, Lila will be coming over for dinner tonight!" Stella said anxiously, as Helga rolled her eyes.

"Sounds like fun! I guess that means if we're going to get our marriage license today, we should hurry and get it done Helga." Arnold pointed out, getting up from the table.

As Helga began to follow him towards the kitchen door, they were stopped. "Do your parents know you two are headed there Helga?" Stella asked as Arnold and Helga turned to face her.

Giving a questioning look, Helga replied "Nooo? Should they?"

"If you're under eighteen, the city requires your parents' approval before issuing a license." Miles pointed out.

The tension dropped in her shoulders as Arnold replied "Helga turned eighteen last month! We won't have to bother them."

As his parents looked at each other, they replied "Okay, you two have fun then!"

Stepping outside the boarding house, Arnold took Helga's hand. When he was just about to take his first step towards the city clerk, he saw Helga standing frozen.

"Is everything okay?" he asked, looking concerned.

She turned to face him, as she replied "Aren't you supposed to bring your birth certificate to do this?"

Realizing she was right, he began to turn around to get his. Before he could, she stopped him with some disappointing news. "If so, we will have to bother my parents!"

They stood there a moment, trying to come up with a solution. "There's only one person we can call." Arnold said, knowing she wouldn't be too happy.

"Oh crimity!" she exclaimed, pulling out her cell phone.

Ring...Ring...Ring…

"Hello?"

"Olga, it's Helga"

"Oh baby sister!"

"Crimety, what is with the screaming?! Sheesh! Anyway, I need you to swing by the city clerk's office with my birth certificate."

"Why am I taking it there?"

So Arnold and I can get our marriage license, doi!"

"Oh goody! I'll be right there!"

"Great, see ya soon."

Hanging up her phone, she turns to Arnold. "Despite how annoying she is, she DOES come in handy."

"Whatever you say Helga." he replied, taking back her hand.

The two then walked hand in hand to the city clerk. "It's hard to believe how close we are to tying the knot!" Arnold pointed out, as a smile formed on Helga's face. "I'll never have to fantasize about being with you again."

"To be fair, you've been living with and doing all sort of 'sweet' activities with me for several months now." he pointed out, as she rolled her eyes. "Shut up Arnoldo!"

As they approached the clerk's office, they saw Olga already waiting for them. "Well, let's get this over with." Helga sighed, as she continued walking towards her over-enthusiastic sibling.

"Here you go baby sister! It was in a box of papers daddy had labeled 'JUNK.'" she exclaimed as Helga snatched it. "Yep, sounds right."

Hating to hear once again about the way Helga's family neglected her, Arnold entered the conversation. "Do you think they'll be coming to the wedding?"

Sending him a look that did not appear to promising, she replied "I don't know why they wouldn't?"

 _I could think of a few reasons_ Helga thought to herself as she and Arnold began to head inside.

"See you at the wedding baby sister!" Olga exclaimed as Arnold waved goodbye to her.

The two walked inside, looking at all the other couples who had the same romantic idea. "Oh man, would you get a look at the couple three pairs from the front of the line!"

Arnold didn't notice anything about them, other than how happy they looked together. "What about them?"

"They've got their hands, in each other's back pockets! You'd think they'd want to save it for the honeymoon!" she scoffed as he rolled his eyes at her.

"Maybe, or they could just be really excited about the new life they're about to be starting together." Letting go of her hand, he put his arm around her waist. Pulling her in tighter, he kissed her on the cheek. As she began to blush, she thought about her vow to let go of her reputation. Although there was no one they knew around she was putting on the act for, she realized there was no reason she couldn't make an effort to show her sensitive side.

She placed her arm around his on her waist, squeezing him tight. Then turned to give him a quick kiss on the lips. Surprised by this, Arnold couldn't help but blush a little himself.

"Starting to rethink being open?" she asked, grinning widely at him. Looking into her eyes, that slight peck on the lips instantly turned into a lingering kiss. As the line moved, they remained still. When it was at last their turn at the counter, they were too wrapped up in each other to realize it.

Feeling guilty breaking them up, the clerk at last said, "Excuse me, next couple please!"

Simultaneously, Arnold and Helga opened their eyes with their lips together, as they glanced to see no couples remained in front of them. Immediately, they pulled apart, both faces as pink as pink as Helga's bow.

Scratching the back of his head, Arnold took Helga's hand and walked her to the counter. "Hi, we're Arnold Shortman and Helga Pataki. Here to get our Marriage License."

Looking at the two of them, the clerk immediately wanted some identification along with their birth certificates. "You two seem pretty young for marriage!"

"Hey, when you know, you know!" Helga said, not liking the idea of being judged about her lifestyle choices.

"Yeah, when you know you've found the right person, why wait?" Arnold asked, as he began to rub Helga's hand. Hearing this brought joy to her heart. Just the fact that her inconsistent personality could never change the strength of his loving attitude towards her made her feel like the luckiest girl in the world!

"Okay, I just need you to fill out this application. Then, there will be a twenty four hour waiting period." the clerk said, as she handed them the application.

The two looked over the application as Arnold couldn't help but ask "So, you gonna change your last name? Helga G. Shortman? Or Helga G. Pataki - Shortman? What about Helga P. Shortman? How about an alternative last name? Helga G. Shortaki!"

Helga glared at him as she replied "Crimety, keep your pants on! I've given it a lot of thought. If I'm going to be the new person I've been working on being the past year, I might as well start over completely."

Arnold wasn't sure where she was going with this until he saw her write "Helga G. Shortman."

She placed her hand on his as she saw his jaw nearly drop. "I love you Arnold, and I'm so lucky to have you!"

Watching the look the loving couple shared, the clerk couldn't help but comment. "I don't normally speak my opinion about these things, but I can tell by the look in your eyes, this is a marriage that will last."

The two smiled at the clerk as they handed back the application. "It'll be official in twenty four hours." she assured them happily, as they waved goodbye.

The two exited the building, feeling like completely different people. "Well Mrs. Shortman, are you ready for dinner with Lila?" Arnold asked with half lidded eyes.

The sound of the name made her heart flutter. She was about to marry the man of her dreams! Feeling her knees weaken and her voice shaking, she managed to bring herself to reply "Why yes, Mr. Shortman."

Kissing her on the cheek, he added "Is there anything special you'd like to eat tonight?" Beginning to blush, she replied "Uhh don't you think your parents already have something in mind?"

Stopping to wrap his arms around her, he placed his head on her shoulder. Inhaling the sweet scent of her hair, feeling the soft touch of her cheek against his, enjoying the warmth brought by the touch of their tightly compressed bodies. "Yeah, I guess you're right," he replied, slowly releasing a breath he didn't realize he was holding.

Helga held him tightly, closing her eyes and thinking to herself _I'd be proud to have everyone in town witness me standing here with the love of my life. The boy no one believed I was capable of winning the heart of!_

After a few more moments of enjoying each other's warm embrace, they headed back to the boarding house. Upon arriving, they found Lila already sitting in the dining room with the family.

"Hello Helga! Arnold! I've been looking ever so forward to eating with you!" Lila informed them as they entered the room.

The two took a seat at the table, just in time to see Pookey bring in some chili and and vegetables.

"So Lila, how have you been?" Arnold asked, trying to get a conversation going.

"I'm ever so certain I'm doing just splendidly. School's going well, and of course I have the wedding to look forward to!" she replied as the family all took in her enthusiasm.

"You seem to be in an extra good mood for a teenager at a public high school, approaching the week of their finals." Phil blurted out.

"Oh I'm doing quite well! My teachers said I'm being exempt from most of my exams!" Lila replied as Helga thought to herself _How shocking!_

Arnold quickly replied "Helga's being excused from hers as well. The only one who won't let anyone miss class is her poetry teacher."

"That's just ever so wonderful Helga! Are you going to be writing another poem?" Lila anxiously asked.

Shrugging her shoulders as she picked at her plate, she replied "Not yet. I think he just likes having us there to hear him talk."

"What about you shortman! You being exempt from anything?!" Phil asked as Arnold began to blush. "Uhh not exactly."

"Don't worry Arnold! I'm sure you'll do just ever so well on your tests." Lila insisted as Helga began to eat.

Seeing Arnold smile at Lila's encouragement couldn't help but make Helga's stomach begin to bubble with jealousy. While she knew she could trust Lila, she didn't like the idea of someone taking away Arnold's attention.

A moment later, Arnold noticed Helga had moved her hand under the table to clench her fist. As Lila went on about school, he placed his hand on top of Helga's. Just the feel of his hand reminded her where his heart laid. As he began to rub it, chills ran through her. All she wanted to do was run upstairs with him and rip off his clothes.

Once dinner was finished, with Lila doing most of the talking, Stella brought some dessert to the table. "Pookey and I made some chocolate chip cookies to thank you for helping with the wedding, Lila!"

Taking one in her hand, keeping her perfect posture, Lila replied "Thank you just ever so much!"

"You certainly do have good manners." Miles pointed out as Helga rolled her eyes.

"My daddy made sure to raise me right!" she assured them, as they sat eating their cookies.

When they cleared the dessert filled plate, Lila looked at the clock and said "I should be on my way. Thank you ever so much for having me."

Arnold and Helga walked her to the door. Helga stood in the doorway with her arms crossed, as Arnold walked her down the porch. "Thanks again for coming. See you at school!"

Waving goodbye to her, Arnold joined Helga in the house. The moment he locked the door, she turned him around to drag him upstairs. "Whoa!" he gasped, being dragged along by her.

As she made it to the bedroom with him, she swung open the door, slamming it behind them. "Helga, what are you…" he began to ask, but was interrupted as she pushed her lips firmly against his. Sucking his tongue tightly, she moved him back to the bed. Falling on top of him, she began to unbutton his shirt, as he laid there with his eyes open _I wonder what has her so worked up?_

Letting go of his tongue, she began to leave a trail of kisses running down his neck, as he asked "Are you okay?"

Finally, she stopped to look at him a moment as she replied "I'm...fine. That was just...I didn't like the way you were looking at her." she struggled to admit, clenching her fists as she allowed him to sit up.

"What are you talking about?" he asked. Although he could sense her irritation at dinner, he didn't think it was about being concerned of him once again having feelings for Lila.

Sitting herself up, she sighed "She just wouldn't shut up about that perfect personality of her's. Which always impresses you! Heck, it impressed everyone in your family!"

"Helga? Are you worried I still have feelings for her? That was grade school!" he exclaimed as Helga hung her feet over the bed, twiddling her thumbs.

"I know. It's stupid. There's just something about the way you look at her that's different from the way you look at me. Your eye size grows to match your head size as you listen to her brag about her perfect skills. It's like she has you under her spell. All you do when you see me is give me that goofy smile with weak eyes." she sighed.

Arnold's eyes then did grow to match his head size as these words reached his ears. He turned Helga's face towards his as he replied "I'd be lying if I said she didn't impress me."

Helga continued to look into his eyes, waiting for an explanation.

"But, I could never love someone who always had to be like that. I wouldn't feel as though I was allowed to be human...like I am with you."

She sat there feeling as though he had just slammed her terribly. Then he went on…

"You're perfect in a much more admirable way. While you're smart, pretty, loyal, and brave, you possess two more qualities she doesn't."

Seeing her eyes begin to water, he finished "You possess both a passionate and dominate personality. Your personality is delicate enough for you to be able to express yourself in romantic ways, while you're still able to defend yourself whenever you feel threatened."

Tears began to stream down her face as Arnold went on

"She's like a bowl of ice cream, sweet all the way around. You're like a box of sweet n sours, two traits packed into one." he winked as she threw her arms around him. After pulling her top off, he pulled her back on top of him. The two began kissing each other hard as they tried slipping their pants off. It wasn't easy, when they weren't able to make themselves release their lips. Eventually, they were lying naked on top of each other, breathing heavily.

After a long workout of locking their lips along with their legs, they passed out across the bed with Arnold laying his head along Helga's chest. She began stroking his hair, as he brought his hand up to touch her face. Still trying to catch his breath, he whispered "I love you Helga G. Shortman."

Hearing this once again made her heart flutter. She placed her hand on top of his, loving how close each serious talk brought them.

Finally able to find the strength to sit up, Arnold looked her in the eyes to kiss her. "I guess we should get some sleep. Before I end up passing out on top of you." he pointed out.

The two of them then slipped under the covers, not bothering to put their clothes on. They snuggled close, as she propped her leg up against him. Their arms wrapped around one another. If they had been allowed to stay that way forever, they would have gladly done so, knowing they had everything they needed to be happy right there in their arms.


	42. Chapter 42

Chapter 42: Graduation

Graduation

It was the day all the kids had been waiting for their entire lives and the day Arnold and Helga had been looking second most forward to all year. That Saturday morning, Arnold and Helga were up bright and early. Getting their things together, the two saw they had each received a text from their best friend.

"I can't believe this day is here! See you at the ceremony man!" Arnold read from Gerald, as he placed his phone into his pocket.

"It's hard to believe a week from today, we'll be married and starting college!" Arnold said, as he walked over to hug Helga. Holding her from behind, she was reading the text her best friend had sent her that morning.

"Isn't it amazing we've reached this mark in our lives. There will be many more treasured ones. Your next one will be next weekend!" Helga read as Arnold watched a tear form in her eyes.

Squeezing her tight, he kissed her on the cheek as he said "I'm so proud to be having you as my wife! Someone as strong as she is sensitive, rough as she is soft, dominate as she is passionate, as blunt as she is secretive."

Looking into his eyes, she knew if such a thing as soul mates existed, he was hers. As their friends said, their different qualities completed each other; what made them so perfect for each other. Every so often someone sweet needs protection, just as someone aggressive needs a shoulder to cry on.

"Come on, let's go down and eat!" she insisted, pulling him along. The two brought their blue caps and gowns along to the dining room, as the family watched with wide grins on their faces.

"Good morning! Today's one of your exciting days this month!" Stella exclaimed, as Miles nodded his head. "Yep, you kids eat up. You don't want to be late!"

Graduating was going to be a huge milestone for the both of them, but all Arnold could think about was the wedding. It was as if he just wanted the day over and done with, so the week could move along.

Seeing he hadn't taken a bite of his food yet, Stella asked "Is everything okay sweetie?"

Quickly jolting his head up, he replied "Huh? Oh yeah, I was just thinking about walking across the stage." Arnold replied, hoping that would be a good enough excuse.

"Make sure you shake with your right and grab with your left. I remember Jimmy Coffcah was so nervous, he walked up there trying to use his right hand for both! Got the goofiest lookin' picture of him!" Phil laughed as the family rolled their eyes.

"Yeah….I think Helga and I should be going. See you at graduation!" Arnold waved goodbye as he took Helga's hand.

The soon to be married couple walked to the car with their cap and gowns. As Helga slipped into the passenger side, she looked over at the catalac in the driveway. "Maybe when gramps kicks the bucket, you could convince your parents to take the packard and steal the catalac."

Arnold passed a weak smile her way as he replied "I don't really see that happening. My dad never understood what had my grandpa so fixated on it."

"Pttss...he probably made love to your freaky grandmother in it!" Helga suggested as Arnold turned pale. "Thanks for putting that image into my mind."

Once they made it to the ceremony, the happy couple went to find their friends.

"Hey Arnold! Can you believe it's happening?" Gerald asked as the two did their secret handshake. Phoebe held out her arms to hug Helga as she asked "Are you ready for this exciting week? After today our path to adulthood begins. Then one week from today, your path to an entirely new life begins!"

Helga's smile grew widely, as she listened to her best friend's encouragement. In all the years they'd known each other, not once had she ever let Helga down.

"Thanks Pheebs. I know you're going to be the next nuclear scientist." she said sincerely.

The four of them then went to their seats as they held hands with their loved ones all the way to them. "I wish I could hold your hand across the stage." Arnold said to his loved one as she let out a lovesick sigh. "Am I allowed to change my name right now? It's been more than twenty four hours!"

Smiling at her argument, he replied "I don't think our engagement is a good enough excuse to make them change their seating order."

"Crimety! You and your put downs!" she accused him as he glared at her. "Uhhh I think you must be referring to yourself?"

"Yeah, you gotta problem with that?!" she exclaimed as he replied "Actually I do."

Her eyes widened, as she wondered what words could be about to be slipping from his lips.

"It's time for me to put down your hand." he finished, as she let out a sigh of relief. Not wanting to let go anymore than he did, she replied "It's only for awhile. Besides, you'll get a better look at me if you're sitting a couple rows back." she assured him, winking.

As he kissed her on the cheek, he slowly let go of her hand. "See you on the other side."

Smirking at him, she said "I'll try not to tell Pheebs you're stealing lines from her. I knew you couldn't write poetry!"

She then turned to swoon to herself, as she faced her row of seats. Just as she and Arnold were leaving each other, they were interrupted by a familiar voice. "Howdy Arnold! I wreckin' this'll be the last time we're all sittin' in a room together!"

"Don't worry Stinky, we'll see each other at the wedding next weekend." Arnold pointed out as Helga crossed her arms at the country boy's ignorance.

"Oh yeah… I wreckin' that'll be the last time then!" he concluded as Helga smacked her face. "We've still got college dingus! Unless Arnoldo's decided to revoke his open-minded belief system, I don't recall hearing about anymore moving to the other side of the country!" she scowled as Stinky walked passed them.

Rolling her eyes, she placed a hand on her hip and said "I cannot believe I am sitting in the same section as him!"

Arnold smiled at her irritation as he kissed her once more and replied "See you soon."

It was at last time for the ceremony to start as the kids all sat there, feeling the stares from their proud parents hovering over them. All of them, except Helga. While she glanced around at married couples pulling out cameras, grandparents holding cards they were anxiously waiting to pass out, younger siblings excited to be holding congratulations balloons, she was once again filled with thoughts of neglect that Arnold wasn't beside her to heal.

Slouching down in her seat, she thought to herself _Crimity, I'm racing out of here the moment that paper touches my hand!_

A few rows back, Arnold witnessed Helga's proud shoulders sliding down into her seat. Forming a frown on his face, he thought to himself _I wonder if she's bored, or if something's on her mind?_

He hated not being near to comfort her as much as she hated not having him beside her for comfort.

As Helga continued to crouch in her seat with her eyes remaining forward, she soon felt a tap on her shoulder. Turning around to see a student handing her a note, she heard "This is from the blonde boy three rows back."

Helga faced forward, not bothering to crouch back down. As she opened the note, it read "Look behind you!"

She thought to herself _I just turned around? What could I have missed?_ Turning back to search for his face, he smiled. When he saw her with a puzzled look on her face, he pointed a ways back, implying she should continue looking. She continued her visual search, thinking to herself _What the heck am I looking for? Why couldn't he just write it in the note?!_

Finally, she spotted her sister sitting with his family. Her eyes widened in amazement. Not by the fact that Olga would appear at such an event, but by the fact that she actually had a family member AT one of HER special events. Dropping her focus from their families to Arnold, her eyes went from unbelievably astonished to overwhelmingly grateful.

 _Oh Arnold my love! Here it is a new day! A new chapter in our lives. What exciting adventures will the future unravel for us?_

At last, the principal came to the stand to start the ceremony. "Welcome families, we're here to celebrate the graduation of another wonderful group of students. I'm sure they'll all lead exciting lives from this point on. To start the ceremony, I would like to have a speech read by one of our top students, Ms. Phoebe Hyerdoll."

Helga's eyes lit up. Phoebe hadn't said anything about giving a speech at the end of the year. Maybe she had been to focused on her own troubles to bother to ask about what was going on in her best friend's life.

"Good morning everyone!" Phoebe began as everyone listened attentively. "Today we're here celebrating the exciting step up in our lives…."

Everyone sat listening to the speech as tears ran down Helga's face. _My dreams are coming true. My love life is complete, my dream job is on the verge of beginning, my family is witnessing a priceless moment in my life….sort of?_

When her speech was finished, Phoebe turned to wink at Helga, knowing the thoughts and feelings which must be going through her mind.

"Thank you Phoebe! Now we will start handing out the diplomas!" the principal announced, as Helga no longer dreaded the moment. The pain from Arnold's absence was now replaced with the warmth of knowing all the loving people who were around her.

The principal called names one by one as dreading thoughts had been replaced anticipated ones. "Gerald Johanson!" The principal called as Gerald marched toward the stage. Shaking his hand, Gerald glanced over at who he was sure would someday be HIS fiance. Sending her a gentle smile, she nodded acknowledging the emotions that moment had brought.

"Rhonda Wellington Lloyd!" Helga couldn't help but smirk as she watched Rhonda flip her hair across the stage. Slowly walking up to the principal, as to make sure everyone in the stadium had a chance to witness the new fancy midnight blue capri heels she had bought for just the occasion.

The anger left her the moment Rhonda left the stage. It was as though her mind was the stage and the irritation she felt towards Rhonda left her mind the moment Princess left the stage. Her thoughts immediately went back to the warm, loving embrace she had been feeling all thanks to Arnold. Had he not pointed Olga out to her, she would have been sitting all through the ceremony, feeling lonely and neglected. Now she felt as though she had a reason to look forward to a moment such as this. Rather than simply viewing it as another thing in life to check off her list of unnoticed accomplishments.

Finally, the principal called the name that Arnold had been waiting to hear. "Helga Geraldine Pataki!"

"So, that's what the G. stands for." Harold whispered as Helga walked passed him and up the stairs of the stage. As she could feel her hands trembling approaching the principal, she heard her sister scream across the stadium "Oh baby sister! I'm so proud of you!"

Hearing someone say that about her and at such an iconic event touched her. Her fear had been replaced with pride as she proudly took the diploma and shook the principal's hand with the firmest grip he had felt that day.

Leaving the stage, the face she immediately looked for was her fiance's. Holding her diploma close to her heart, she pictured what life would be like for them from that point on.

Making it to her seat, Helga was anxious for the ceremony to be over. All she wanted now was to be with her loved one. Finally, they made it to the last name any of them had been waiting to hear called. "Arnold Phillip Shortman!"

The room cheered louder than it had for anyone else. Rather than cheering, Helga sat and smiled deeply with warm loving eyes. Gripping her diploma tightly, she imagined herself holding Arnold's hand. As he went up to accept his paper, he barely acknowledged the congratulations he was given by the principal. He eyes instead darted to Helga's, returning her loving look. If it had been his choice, he would have jumped off the stage and run straight to her. Exiting the stage, it was unbelievable he did not go tumbling down the staircase. For he never broke their eyelocking trance.

After all the names had been called, the principal dismissed the ceremony. What were once students got up to exit their seats and head for the doors like a pack of wild animals. As Helga saw the large jumbles of groups that seemed as though they would be impossible to shove through, she stood there just wishing she could still see where Arnold was.

After a moment of standing still, growing infuriated with how long it was taking to get anywhere, she felt a tap on her shoulder.

Turning around, she saw another note being handed to her. "Helga! We're finally out of this wretched school! Now we have the next week to get ready for the big day!" Rhonda exclaimed.

"What's this?" Helga asked, opening the note.

"It's everything left to do before the wedding!" Rhonda said, shocked Helga had to ask.

Raising part of her eyebrow, Helga replied "Is this not already written in your planner thingy?"

"No offense Helga, but this is the actual week of the wedding, and most brides don't still have all the original information by the time they reach this point in their schedule!" she pointed out as Helga glared.

"Okay, so you got some sort of plan on how you're wanting to do this?" Helga asked, not expecting to have much say in the matter.

Rhonda's smile grew as she replied "Tomorrow I insist on going to a spa! While we do so, I would recommend Arnold setting aside time to write the checks for the vendors and pack for the honeymoon."

 _Nice, Arnold gets to spend his first day of summer break working for Princess while I'm soaking it up in some spa right beside her. I don't know who has it worse?_

"Fine. Pick your spa, and we'll go tomorrow morning. After I slam down a few pancakes!" Helga stammered as the crowds began to die down. She was at last able to see Arnold's face.

Rhonda began to leave as Helga headed in Arnold's direction. The closer she got, the more anxious she became. Without realizing it, she leapt into his arms, when she was still a good five feet away from him.

"Whoa! Are you okay?" he asked, not expecting that from her.

Feeling her face flush, she replied "Umm yeah, sorry about that. I just missed you."

His eyes fell into a half lidded gaze. As he leaned down to meet her lips, they heard "Hey shortman! Congratulations!"

Arnold set her down as they both turned to face their family members.

"Uhh thanks grandpa." Arnold replied as he watched the excitement in all of their eyes. "Ohh baby sister! I'm so happy for you! We have to get a picture of the two of you!" Olga exclaimed as she motioned for Arnold and Helga to stand together. He wrapped his arm around her, as she pressed her face against his. He hung his diploma at his side, while she continued to hold her's close to her heart.

"Oh! That was perfect!" Olga shouted with joy, and for once Helga agreed.

Looking at her, Arnold took the camera and said "Let me get a picture of the two of you!" Olga didn't hesitate to run over to squeeze her sister tight. Maybe it was the thickness of the robe, but for some reason, Helga didn't mind the usual suffocating squeeze. Looking at the picture he had taken, he could see the look of appreciation in Helga's eyes. The appreciation she felt for having someone who loved her at such a special event.

"Well, let's all go home for some lunch! I'll make some tacos!" Stella suggested as everyone nodded with excitement. "Now you're talkin'!" Phil exclaimed, as Miles shook his head.

Walking back towards Helga, Arnold turned to his parents and said, "We'll meet you at home."

Arnold kept his arm wrapped around Helga, holding her close all the way to the parking lot. They were finished with school, they had plans for the future, best of all, they knew who they'd be sharing it all with.

"Did you see the look tall hair boy was giving Pheebs on stage? I thought he was going to do her right then and there!" Helga laughed as Arnold squeezed her tighter and replied "Much like the look you were giving me, when you were LEAVING the stage."

Helga scoffed as she looked up at him, "Hey! It's hard being away from someone you love." As Arnold saw they were approaching the car, he replied "Trust me, I know."

Just as they were about to get in, they heard "Hey Arnold! We're all going over to Antonio's Pizza to celebrate! Wanna come with?" Sid asked, as Arnold looked over at Helga.

"What do you think? Will your sister be disappointed if we don't have lunch with her and my family?" Arnold asked as Helga rolled her eyes.

"Pttss...please! She had her moment with me today, she doesn't need to be anymore spoiled than she already is." Helga scowled as Arnold replied "Whatever you say Helga."

After the two of them had called their family members to inform them of the change in their plans, they got in the car to meet their friends at Antonio's. Getting into the driver seat, with Helga beside him, he still didn't like the distance between them. Before she had a chance to pull on her seatbelt, he immediately reached over to drag her close to him "Whoa! What was that about?" she asked, as she now felt herself smashed against his side.

Beginning to blush, he replied "I'm sorry, I just want you next to me. I didn't like not getting to sit together today." he confessed as he began to scratch his head. Looking at him with the half lidded eyes she always received from him, her heart began to melt as she replied "I understand what you mean….If I go flying through the window thanks to wreckless driving and no seatbelt, you're paying the hospital bill!" she warned him.

Shaking his head as he put an arm around her and the other on the wheel, he replied "Whatever you say Helga."

The two of them were the last to arrive at Antonio's. They were enjoying the drive just being together, rather than thinking about the rush of the crowded party that awaited them.

As they pulled up, everyone was standing by their cars. "Hey Arnold! What took so long man?" Gerald asked anxiously, as Arnold looked at the eagerly awaiting crowd.

"Yeah, we need to get in there before all the pizza is gone!" Harold insisted.

Rhonda rolled her eyes as she replied "Harold, they just opened! Even if the place is full of people like you, I'm sure there's still plenty left."

Phoebe then noticed how close Helga had been to Arnold exiting the car. She came out on his side, implying they pressed quite close together. "Everyone is here now. Perhaps we should just go inside." she suggested, hoping to take any attention off Helga that might occur.

As the group walked inside, they saw the place was a bit crowded. "I wreckin' every school in the whole dang city had the same idea we did." Stinky assumed as Arnold went to the hostess. "Hi, we have ten people, would be have to wait too much longer for a group that size?"

The hostess smiled as she replied "Actually, the big booth in the corner is opening up now. Give us a moment to clean it and it should be ready for you!"

Arnold returned to his friends with a smile on his face, as he wrapped his arm around Helga. "We'll be getting a table shortly guys!"

Helga sighed to herself, trying not to get lost in a vivid daydream about her and her beloved. Before she could allow that, she turned to her friends. "Just don't let your appetite get the best of you this time Geraldo!"

He rolled his eyes as he replied "Hey, you helped out, as I recall Helga."

"What in the heck are you two talkin' about?" Stinky asked as he began to scratch his head.

Gerald blushed as he saw the wide grin on Helga's face. How eager she was to embarrass him. "Well…" before she could begin her story, the group heard "Party of ten, your table is ready!"

Arnold then took her hand and suddenly, the story didn't seem important to her. As each kid took a seat at the table, the hostess passed them their menus. "Your waitress will be with you shortly."

The kids began looking over the menu as Nadine looked out the window. "I bet if we had sat on the patio, we could have gotten a great view of all the interesting insects that come to this location."

The kids all began to groan as Sid replied "Why would you bring up something like that right before lunch?"

The waitress then returned, having gotten an order for ten yahoo sodas. "Do you all have an idea of what you would like to eat?"

Arnold had previously pointed out the giant supreme pizza with their new Hillwood hot sauce. "So, did you guys still want to try the new pizza?" Arnold asked, as everyone began to look around the table.

"I'm ever so certain it looks just delicious!" Lila concluded as the waitress gathered the menus.

"It'll be out shortly." she assured them, as a moment of silence broke. Trying to think of something to say, Helga was then reminded of the story she never got to finish. "So, about that pizza contest Geraldo and I had at the beginning of the school year…" Helga began as Gerald choked on his drink.

"Uhh yeah, we don't need to get into that." he insisted as the rest of the table began to disagree with him.

"Boy howdy! Pizza contest! Ya gotta tell us about that!" Sid exclaimed.

"I'm ever so certain I would just love to hear about it!" Lila added as Gerald shoved his face into his hands.

"I'm ever so certain you won't be disappointed." Helga laughed sarcastically, as Arnold rolled his eyes.

"So, tall hair boy here thought the key to winning class president would be putting on an additional ten or twenty pounds!" she began as his face turned red.

"That being the case, we each ordered our own pizza and made an agreement that whoever finished first had to buy lunch for the group everyday the following week!" she paused as the entire group's faces all turned to him.

"Being the gracious person I am however, I didn't make him buy me lunch, after I cleaned his clock!" Helga exclaimed. Arnold shook his head as he butted in. "I think you mean the gracious person that 'I' am! I offered to buy you and I lunch so he wouldn't have to deal with the burden of it."

"Hey! Don't blame your poor financial decisions on my wise negotiation skills!" she scowled as Stinky couldn't help but butt in. "I wreckin' you two will be one of those old bickerin' married couples who can't agree on anything."

The rest of the table began to snicker as Helga silently gritted her teeth. Knowing her as well as he did by that point, Arnold placed a hand on hers and replied "So what if we are? As long as we're happy together, I don't care how we express it."

Helga's wide eyed expression then turned to meet Arnold's half lidded gaze. Once again seeing the look of love he felt for her made her shiver inside. He began to rub her hand in front of everyone as the group sat in silence. She continued to stare at him, thinking to herself...

 _Is this what the wedding will be like? Eyes focused on us, our love exposed with stares that imply 'this just isn't right!' Oh why can't I get used to it? Shut up Helga! You've done more than enough with him in front of everyone! You hold hands together, you celebrate your love at parties together, you've been wearing a freakin' engagement ring around the school for cryin' out loud! Who cares what he just said! Who cares what type of attention the wedding brings to the two of you! That's what a wedding is! Sheesh!_

"Are you okay Helga? You look just ever so tense!" Lila asked as Helga's eyes left Arnold's to turn to hers. "Huh? Oh, I'm fine." Helga said, as she took a sip of her drink.

Then Helga remembered her vow to let go of her reputation. Her vow to be less secretive. Promising not to be ashamed to showed their love for each other. Thinking about that and once again how lucky she was to be with Arnold, she did something that made her heart race faster than it made the group's jaws drop. Scooting closer to Arnold in the booth, she rested her head on his shoulder and held his arm tight. Everyone began to stare as Arnold looked down at her and asked "Umm Helga? Are you sure you're okay?"

Helga let out a deep sigh as she shut her eyes and took a moment to think about how comfortable holding onto her beloved actually made her feel. "I'm fine, I'm just tired. It wasn't exactly a quick ceremony!"

The group's hanging jaws slowly turned into weak smiles as they thought to themselves _I wish I could be that happy with someone!_

Finally, their pizza came. Hearing Harold scream "Alright!" was enough for Helga to know it was time to get off Arnold and eat.

"This sure is some gooood hot sauce Arnold!" Stinky exclaimed.

"Boy howdy! Talk about spicy!" Sid added as the rest of the group ate.

"See how quick you can finish this one Geraldo!" Helga smirked as Gerald rolled his eyes, thinking to himself _I'd definitely need a pitcher of water to go with it!_

Noticing the sauce wasn't having any effect on Helga, Arnold turned and said "Maybe this is the pizza we should bring to the wedding?"

"Pttss...you really think gramps could handle it?" she smirked as Arnold thought for a moment. "Well, I guess he would be in the bathroom most of the evening."

"I still can't believe you're bringing pizza to the wedding! As your wedding coordinator, I must protest!" Rhonda exclaimed as Helga dropped her slice. "Yeah well, as the bride I say, I get what I want!"

The table couldn't help but laugh as Phoebe butted in. "I'm afraid it's true Rhonda. The number one rule of wedding ceremonies is 'If the bride asks for it, she gets it!'"

Rhonda leaned back and crossed her arms, matching Helga's position. "Uhh fine. Don't come crying to me however when half the families are complaining at the reception!"

"I'm beginning to think you're more concerned about how this will make you look than how happy it will make the guests feel?" Nadine said as Rhonda quickly turned to face her. "Of course that's my concern! If I'm going to have this on a designer resume one day, I can't have an asterisk there that says 'poorly served food!'"

"I hate to break it to you Princess, but if there's going to be a spoiler at the wedding, it won't be the food." Helga smirked

"Oh really, what will it be then?" Rhonda asked as everyone waited for Helga's response.

"I'd say it all boils down to how football head's lame-o cousin behaves." she finished as Arnold sighed. "Yeah, it hasn't been easy having him around. Hopefully, his parents will be taking him home after the wedding and we can put this all behind us."

Rhonda rolled her eyes as she replied. "Okay, I stand corrected. Maybe we do have more important things to worry about than the food."

"Besides Rhonda, the pizza was just supposed to be for my grandpa. I mean, it's not the only food we'll be serving there. Weddings serve all kinds of food to make guests happy." Arnold added, hoping to make her feel better.

"Gosh Arnold. When did you get to be such a weddin' expert!" Stinky wondered as Arnold rolled his eyes. "I'm not an expert Stinky. I just don't see any reason why we can't have a variety of food choices there."

By the time the debate was done and everyone had finished their meal, the waitress came by with the checks. "Here you all are. Thanks for coming!"

The guys all pitched in to pay as the girls sat back, happy to have gotten a free meal. "Well, I guess we should be going." Arnold said, as he and Helga headed to the car. Before they could get too far, Rhonda stopped them. "Don't forget Helga! Come straight over after breakfast tomorrow for a day at the spa. Also Arnold, you will need to pack for the honeymoon and start your checks for the vendors!"

The two couldn't help but roll their eyes as Helga replied "Yeah, yeah, we got it. Crimity! Anything else?"

"No, see you tomorrow!" she exclaimed, as everyone headed in separate directions. Once Helga and Arnold made it into the car, Helga couldn't help but slam the door as she scowled "Sheesh! Can you believe how worked up she got over the food?! It's like they invited us just so she could complain about everything we're doing wrong!"

Placing his hand on her thigh, Arnold began to rub it as he replied "This week will be stressful, but look how far we've come! Besides, you know Rhonda never helps people without thinking about how it might benefit her."

Helga put her hand on top of his as she began thinking about how nice it was going to be to always have someone bring peace to her mind.

Driving down the street, she noticed him passing the boarding house. "Where are we going?"

Almost stuttering, he replied "Well, did you still want our honeymoon to be in San Lorenzo?"

"Yeah?" she replied, not knowing where he was going with this. "I was thinking we should get some new supplies. New hiking clothes, boots, suitcases. I mean, since everything got ruined during our last trip. Plus, that was like seven or eight years ago. We wouldn't fit into them anyway." he pointed out as he laughed at him.

"Alright football head, let's do it!" she agreed, as he took her to the mall to go shopping.

The two of them wondered the stores, as they searched for clothes similar to the ones they had on their first trip to San Lorenzo. "Hey football head! Here's some goofy checkered shorts you might like!" she exclaimed, as she held them up from across the store. Arnold walked to her side of the store, seeing they were quite similar to the red ones he wore on their fifth grade field trip. "These are nice." he smiled as she smirked "Only you would think so."

As he watched her pick up a pair of khakis, he took her arm and said "Why don't we go see just how nice they are?"

Taking their clothes to the fitting room, they headed for the largest stall at the end of the hallway. While Arnold anxiously pulled her along, Helga couldn't help but notice all the other stalls were empty. _Guess everyone's still out celebrating!_

As they entered the stall, he began to undress her. She put her hands on his and whispered "I thought you were going to try on YOUR clothes?"

He blushed, stepping back a moment as he replied "I just thought it would be more fun this way."

Rolling her eyes, she replied "You are such a football head!" Stepping forward, with his hands once again on her waist, he whispered "I'll take that as a yes?"

Her knees began to weaken as he pushed her against the wall. Pulling her pink skirt off, he wasn't anxious to replace it with the shorts. As she reached for his pants, he stopped her to unbutton her white blouse. "Now who takes longer to undress?" he pointed out, as she rolled her eyes, trying to push him off. Being unsuccessful, he pulled her close to kiss her, as she stood there thinking _I wonder how many other couples use fitting rooms for this?_

Taking a breath, he pulled off his clothes, as she asked "So, do I get to try on my shorts now, or is this a de-fitting room?" she smirked.

"No offense, but I've heard better comebacks from you." he pointed out, handing her the clothes she had picked out for herself.

"Shut up Arnoldo! As far as lame comebacks go, that was my one vs you one million!" she exclaimed, pulling on her khakis.

"Whatever you say Helga." he rolled his eyes as she faced herself in the mirror. Wearing the khaki shorts, white tank top, and dark brown leather boots brought back plenty of memories.

Arnold hugged her from behind as he said to her, "We'll make sure you're the one they worship this time!"

"Pttss...you better! I'm not spending our honeymoon following you around the jungle on a chair listening to them hail your name!" she exclaimed as he turned her around to give her a lingering kiss. Being dressed in that jungle attire, thinking about their adventure, holding her beloved, made her feel as though she was brought back to the moment of their first mutual kiss. Getting lost in the moment, she began to lift her leg, lacing their fingers, thinking about how things would be when they returned to the same spot their relationship began.

As she released her grip to run her hands along his arms, she felt his warm skin beneath her. Immediately opening her eyes, she pulled away to say "Are you going to put YOUR clothes on now?"

Although no one was there to see them, he did start to sense the awkwardness of her standing there with her new clothes on, while he stayed standing in nothing but his boxers.

"Uhh yeah, I guess I should." he blushed, as she threw the plaid shorts in his face. When the two were dressed and standing before the mirror together in their new clothes, it certainly brought back memories.

Squeezing her tight, he said "I guess we should pay. Then we can go home and start packing. Be one step ahead of Rhonda." he laughed as Helga grinned widely. "Sounds good to me!"

As the two paid the clerk, they headed out of the shopping center with their bags in their hands. "I'm really excited about this Helga! In one week we'll be married! I can't tell you how happy that makes me!" he looked at her, as they put their bags into the car. Her heart fluttered at the sound of the happiness he felt to be with her. At last he felt the passion for her she had felt for him all the years they had known each other. Perhaps he had felt it all along. Her bitterness just wouldn't allow her to accept the chance of it anymore than it would allow him the chance to realize it.

Getting into the car, they both sighed from exhaustion. It had been quite a day, graduation, pictures with the family, lunch with friends, shopping. Now was their chance to go home and enjoy each other's company.

As they made it back to the boarding house, the happy couple grabbed their new honeymoon clothes from the back of the car. Walking inside, Arnold was ready to head upstairs to start packing.

"Hey shortman! How was lunch?" Phil asked, as everyone waved to him and Helga.

"Oh, hey grandpa. It was good. Helga and I went shopping for some new clothes too. We'll be upstairs packing for the trip to San Lorenzo if you need us." He said, anxious to get going.

"We saved you two some tacos for dinner!" Stella added as he replied "Thanks!" continuing up the stairs."

Shrugging their shoulders at the kids' anticipation, Phil replied "Oh well, more for me!"

When they made it to Arnold's room, Helga set the bags on the bed as Arnold began looking for some suitcases. "Maybe we should have bought some of those?" he said regretfully as Helga replied "I can just use the one I used to cart all my junk over here in."

Hearing her bring that up gave him the sudden urge to ask, "Will you be bringing any of your poetry books? After all, this is a romantic trip we're going on." he asked winking at her, hoping not to get hit too hard.

Her eyes lit as she replied "I guess I could. It's not like anyone in that village speaks English anyway. I'd have nothing to worry about if I left it there."

Not expecting such a calm response from her, he sat down beside her on the bed. "Maybe you could bring one, just to write about the trip in."

"Hmm...I don't know. They're pretty full of awesome information already!" she assured him as he shook his head. "Whatever you say Helga."

A moment of silence took over as they sat on the bed together. "So, what exactly will we be doing there?" Helga finally asked. All she had envisioned them doing was visiting the spot he confessed his feelings for her.

"Well, we won't be there long. I thought we could visit the village we didn't get a chance to see before boarding the boat. Then, we'll end the trip by visiting the green eyed people. Maybe even teach them how to work a camera." he laughed, moving closer to her.

"You are such a football head!" she scowled, shaking her head at him. Although she looked away for a moment, she saw when her eyes returned to him, he hadn't looked away from her.

Taking her hands, he added "I just wanted something to show how much our relationship means to me. I hope this trip isn't too simple."

Leaning her head against his, she replied "Even without this trip, you've done more than enough to show me how much our relationship means to you."

Their lips soon met, as they thought about the romantic yet adventurous trip they would be sharing together. Thinking about the wonderful time he'd be having alone with her, he began to lift her shirt as he said "If you bring a new journal to write about the trip, make sure the last page is a map to your heart."

Her facial expression melted as her heart fluttered. _Arnold my love. You're already there!_ Snapping out of it, she replied "If it's MY journal, why would I need a map to my own heart? Doi!"

Shaking his head at her remark, he continued to undress her. "Maybe you and I could just have our own spa time here. We're already ahead of Rhonda with the shopping!"

"What do YOU know about spas, football head?" she snarled.

Laying on top of her, now with his own shirt off, he replied "I know they have hot steam rooms...much like our hot shower. They have massages...although not as special as the ones we give each other." he winked as her face turned red.

"I guess that's true. I don't know how well she'd handle the news." Helga pointed out as he leaned in closer. Touching her lips, he whispered "Then we just won't tell her." Even with his lips against hers, she couldn't help but let out a sigh as she heard those words. Calming her trembling body, Arnold began to run his hands up and down her sides. Hugging her tight, a warm embrace formed between the two of them. Warmth then formed in their lower areas as they anxiously rubbed their parts together.

As Helga felt him exploring her mouth with his tongue, she felt him begin to hesitate. A few seconds later, she felt him pulling away to laugh. Raising part of her brow, she asked "What? What's so funny?!"

Arnold did his best to hold back the laughter as he thought to himself, "I was just thinking about how I'm sitting here taking advantage of what could possibly be the future president of the united states."

Doing her best not to blush, she scowled "Hey! You are not taking advantage of me! This is a mutual relationship. No one takes advantage of Helga G. Pataki!"

Laying back down, face to face with her, he replied "I think you mean, Helga G. Shortman."


	43. Chapter 43

Chapter 43: Spa Time

The next morning, the two awoke knowing it was finally the week of the wedding! Practically everything had been taken care of, minus Rhonda's spa plan and preparing the checks for the vendors.

"Hey Arnold! Hey Arnold! Hey Arnold!" Helga turned to smack the alarm as she crawled back under the covers. Arnold shook his head at her, while he couldn't help but say "Ya know Helga, all you have to do is unplug the wire from the potato?"

"Zip it, bucko! Or you'll be the one screaming in the morning!" she scowled as he got up to yawn.

"Someone sure is fiesty for a bride to be?" he pointed out as she whipped the covers down, staring through the ceiling at the clouds.

"Pttss...would YOU want to go to a stupid spa with Princess?!" she exclaimed as Arnold shrugged his shoulders. "It won't just be the two of you. She's bringing the other girls."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." she scowled, sitting up to get out of the bed. "I hope that cowpoke grandma of your's made a big breakfast this morning!"

Buttoning his shirt, he couldn't help but ask "So, are you thinking of taking a cooking class to prevent another explosive disaster the next time you try cooking for us?"

"Who said there's going to be a next time? We'll just order take out!" she scowled as he went to pick up the wedding folder. "Whatever you say Helga."

"Most of this is crossed off already. I guess that's one good thing about putting up with people like Rhonda." he admitted.

"Yeah ONE!" helga snorted as she heard him reply. "When are you going to pass out those gifts you bought for the girls? I know your gift to Lila was inviting her over for dinner the other night."

Helga stopped to think a moment. She didn't want to cart along a bunch of bags to the spa with her.

"Uhhh I guess I could do it tonight. That is, if your family doesn't mind everyone coming over for a bit?" she asked.

Walking over, he smiled "Sounds great. My dad and I will put together the checks while you're at the spa. You can invite the girls over and tell Rhonda we already did our packing."

Before she could give a smart mouth comment about her 'fun party,' he pulled her in to kiss her. Every time their lips met, she forgot about her troubles. It was as if one soft touch of his lips against hers was enough to erase a heavy pile of burdens the world had tossed onto her shoulders.

"Let's go see what my family has waiting on the table for us." he smiled, anxiously pulling her along.

Once they made it downstairs, they saw two huge stacks of pancakes waiting for them. "Eat up Tex! Eleanor! It's a big week for the two of you!" Pookey exclaimed as the kids took their seats.

"Thanks grandma!" Arnold smiled as Helga eyed her stack. "Maybe you should take it easy. It's supposed to be a relaxing day for you." Arnold winked as he saw her scarfing down her food.

Swallowing the mouthful she had taken, Helga scowled "Shut up and eat!"

Turning towards his parents, he added "That reminds me. After Helga goes out with the girls to the spa, she needs to bring them back here to give them their gifts. Is that okay?"

"Of course it is!" Stella exclaimed as Miles smiled "I can't believe how close we are to the wedding. We'll have to write those checks while she's at the spa, son."

"Don't forget to write me one!" Phil added, as Miles turned to him. "What exactly have you done to set up for this?"

"He's MY grandson, I raised him, why shouldn't I get a check!" Phil exclaimed as Arnold rolled his eyes. "Uhh right grandpa."

Helga then pushed aside her plate and stood up from her seat. "Well, I'm heading out. See you tonight I guess." she waved as Arnold stood up to hug her. "Have a good time!"

"Yeah, I'll try. Can't make any promises." she warned him as he shook his head. "Whatever you say Helga."

Making it out the door, Helga saw Phoebe waiting for her. "Hey Pheebs." she waved unenthusiastically, walking down the steps of the stoop.

"Good morning Helga! Ready for our spa treatment?" Phoebe asked excitedly.

Shrugging her shoulders at what Helga considered to be a pointless question, she replied "What choice do I have?"

"Don't worry. While I'm well aware this isn't the type of activity you're used to, it can actually be quite relaxing." Phoebe countered as Helga continued walking, having a hard time believing her.

"Even so, I just see it as one more thing to check off this monstrous list of wedding planning until we finally make it to our destination!" Helga admitted as Phoebe smiled.

"I must admit, you've done a wonderful job remaining true to your feelings and faithful to Arnold. It's not an easy thing to do at this point." Phoebe pointed out, hoping she hadn't caused her friend to have second thoughts.

"Yeah, I know I overthink everything. When I dig down as far as my feelings go however, I know everything good I have in my life is all thanks to Arnold….that and you." Helga smiled, looking over at her best friend.

"Why thank you Helga." Phoebe replied as the two girls finally made it to Rhonda's.

Sighing at the sight of the door, Helga said "Let's get this over with." The two walked up the steps as Helga began to knock. A moment later, Nadine answered the door.

"Oh hey Helga. Come on in! We've been waiting for you two!" Nadine insisted as she invited the girls in.

They followed her into the living room to find Rhonda at the computer with everyone else sitting on the couch.

"Have you chosen a spa for us to attend, Rhonda?" Phoebe asked anxiously.

Whipping her head around, Rhonda replied "As a matter of fact! I found one called Splendid Spring Spa! It's been given five stars and just opened an hour ago. If we leave now, we shouldn't have to wait long for anything!"

Everyone except Helga was anxious to stand and follow Rhonda. "Don't forget to pack tonight Helga. That's not a last minute thing to do!" Rhonda insisted as Helga placed her hands on her hips. "Way ahead of ya on that one, Princess!"

"Why whatever do you mean?" she asked as the exited the house? "Arnold and I went shopping for our new clothes and shoes last night. We're all set!"

"Oh, that's just ever so exciting!" Lila said, as she listened in on their conversation. "What all did you buy?"

"Ehh...nothing special. Just some khaki shorts and a tank top. Oh and leather boots. Ya know, what I wore on our grade school trip to San Lorenzo."

Rhonda's eyes widened as she exclaimed "Wait a minute! THAT is what you bought?! Khakis? Are you kidding me?!"

"Uhhh you didn't think I'd be wearing a dress and heels out there did you Princess?" Helga scowled, raising a side of her eyebrow.

"I suppose not, but Helga, you could have at least found something a bit more fashionable. I mean it's not like you'll be hiking through mud and walking through rivers this time! Rhonda pointed out as Helga turned away.

"Oh my gosh! Tell me that is not how you are spending your honeymoon!" Hiking!" she exclaimed as Helga rolled her eyes "Oh give it a rest Princess!"

Nadine then butted, giving her opinion "I think it's a great way to spend your honeymoon! After collecting all the bugs I did on our field trip, I know the perfect locations to find what you may be looking for!"

The girls all gave her a questioning look until Helga at last said "Thanks, but that won't be necessary."

"Really Nadine, it's bad enough they're spending their honeymoon there! What makes you think they would want to add collecting bugs to the agenda?!" Rhonda exclaimed as Nadine rolled her eyes.

"I'm ever so certain they'll just enjoy being there together!" Lila pointed out, as Helga gave a weak smile.

"Lila's right Rhonda. It's not how you spend your vacation, but who you spend it with." Phoebe replied.

Rhonda then turned her nose up, doing her best to drop the subject.

Meanwhile, Arnold was sitting in the kitchen with his dad writing the checks for the vendors. "Now, you've checked with everyone a few times the past month to make sure everything is set up?" Miles asked

Arnold nodded his head anxiously, "Yep, Mr. Green's got the meat read for the burgers and meatloaf, Mrs. Vitello has the carnations, and Dino has been preparing the new music he has set up for the reception. Also, I received an email from Fred about the photos this morning. Plus, Tish gave me the number for the officiant we have booked. I've also kept in touch with him."

"Sounds like you and Helga are staying on top of things." Miles replied as he began writing the checks.

Phil then walked into the room, examining what they were doing. "Ooohhh check time! Don't forget to write me one of those!"

The two rolled their eyes as Miles said, "Dad! You are not getting a check!"

Phil turned to grab a soda from the fridge as he frowned "Spoil sport. Well shortman, you're big day is almost here! How do you feel?"

Arnold began to rub his arm as he replied "I'm pretty nervous, but I know Helga is the one for me. We've done so much to help each other over the years. She acts tough, but has a sensitive soul. I'm not too aggressive, but I'm not afraid to stand up for myself if I believe in something. Neither of us likes to see the other get hurt, and always do our best to do what's right for the other."

Phil patted his grandson on the shoulder as he replied "Sounds like you know what you're doing. I told you she loved you. She's your Gertie!" he laughed, as Arnold rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say grandpa."

Meanwhile, the girls had just made it to the spa. Standing outside the doors, Rhonda's eyes lit up as she said "Oh, this place is perfect! Come on girls!"

As they entered, they were greeted by the receptionist. "Welcome to Splendid Spring Spa! How may I help you?"

Rhonda proudly walked up, ready to inform the receptionist of what they were expecting that day. "Hello, my friends and I are hoping to try out your steam room, have a massage, and of course, some facials, manicures, and pedicures to go with it all!"

As the girls all smiled with excitement, Helga thought to herself _Crimity! This is going to be a nightmare!_

"Right this way then! I'll show you the steam room." she receptionist said, as Helga pouted at the floor, slowly dragging her feet.

Back at the boarding house, Arnold was sitting in his room with Gerald, who he had called over after the expenses for the wedding were all taken care of.

"So Arnold, only one more week! You ready to be tied down man?" Gerald asked as Arnold began twiddling his thumbs.

"I don't really see it as 'being tied down' but yeah, I think I am." he replied.

Gerald stood in front of him as he asked, "Where did the girls go to again?"

"Rhonda made them all go to a spa. I think they're just getting some massages or something? I don't know everything that goes on there." Arnold replied, rubbing the back of his neck.

"A spa! .mmm! Sounds expensive." Gerald pointed out as Arnold replied "Yeah, I'm sure that was just ONE of the things that bothered Helga about it."

"Everything bothers that girl. I hope you've gotten used to that about her, or you're in for the ride of your life my friend!" Gerald assured him as Arnold rolled his eyes.

Meanwhile, the girls were sitting in the steam room. Towels wrapped around themselves, sweat dripping from their faces, Helga sat there thinking to herself _What kind of idiot pays to be dehydrated?_

"Now this is relaxing! We are opening up our pores and cleansing our skin!" Rhonda insisted as Helga wiped the sweat from her brow. "Crimety! I feel like I'm about to faint! I've created my own sweat puddle over here!"

"Don't worry Helga. You'll walk out of here feeling quite refreshed!" Phoebe assured her as Helga laid back with her arms crossed.

As usual, her high IQ friend was was correct. Although Helga wasn't willing to admit it, she walked out feeling refreshed.

"So, what are we going to do next?" Sheena asked anxiously, as Rhonda's smile grew widely. "Well, the massage room is just across the hall. I've been dying to have my back worked on!"

"Then maybe you should quit spending so much time working on your perfect posture." Helga muttered to herself, as the group headed that way.

The girls entered the room, seeing a set of tables and chairs. "Hello ladies! I'm assuming you're all ready for some massages?" the lady asked as Helga interrupted, placing her hands on her hips "Actually, THEY are all ready. I'm just going to have a seat over here. Got any magazines?"

Looking at Helga with wide eyes, the lady responded "Oh but honey, you seem so tense! At least let us work on your shoulders!"

Before having a chance to reply, Helga was taken over to a tall, cushioned chair that laid back for her to recline in.

"Now that she's taken care of, I would like to get your best back massage!" Rhonda insisted as the lady looked towards the rest of the group. "What about you girls?"

"I'm ever so certain I would just love a foot massage!" Lila exclaimed, not having ever been to a spa before.

"Umm I suppose I'll just have the same." Phoebe replied softly as Sheena nodded after her. They weren't as open about the idea of being worked on as Rhonda was.

 _A few moments later….._

"Ooohhh! Ohhh! Ohhh!" Rhonda exclaimed as the massus worked on her back while Helga couldn't help but sit up from her chair. "Crimety! Is she in pain over there?!"

"Try to relax dear. Unclench your fists for me." Her massus asked as she noticed the angry attitude spread across Helga's face.

"Take a few deep breaths and think of something peaceful." she recommended as Helga thought to herself _Pttsss….with that girl in this environment? Yeah right!"_

While the rage of dealing with this was going through Helga's mind, she couldn't help but overhear, the conversation Phoebe was having with her massus.

"So, do you have your feet worked on often?" the massus asked as Phoebe began to blush. "No ma'am. This is actually my first time." The lady continued to rub Phoebe's feet as she replied "I'm guessing you don't play a lot of sports or do a lot of outdoor activities, like hiking?"

Hearing this made Helga think about her trip to San Lorenzo with Arnold. Suddenly, having her mind move from the stress of preparing for the wedding to her time spent with him made her shoulders drop. The massus noticed the relaxing motion in her body, as Helga actually began to enjoy the massage.

 _Oh Arnold my love, if only it was your gentle hands working on me at this moment. While the tension is being released from my shoulders, tis only you who can remove the tension from my heart._

Nearly passing out in the chair, Helga's eyes were opened as she felt the lady cease to continue rubbing her shoulders.

"Well, we certainly hope you ladies enjoyed this activity!" Helga's massus exclaimed as all the girls began to stand up. Rhonda was the last to leave her table, wishing she could stay a bit longer. "We absolutely did! Now, where is the facial room?"

"Right this way dear!" The lady said, leading them there, as Helga rolled her eyes. _This is going to be torture!_

Waiting for them to set the chairs up, Helga turned to Phoebe "Isn't this that stupid girl activity you were doing at Rhonda's fourth grade party? Ya know, when you were all covered in green slime!"

Overhearing, Rhonda butted in. "It was not slime Helga! It was a special mask made of toner, serums, and moisturizers, used to prevent acne, dehydration, wrinkles and sun-damage!"

"And you were worried about all of that at the age of nine?" Helga replied as the facialists came over.

"Everything is all set up! Why don't you girls come lay on the chairs and we'll get started." the facialist insisted as Helga slowly followed the group. _Arnold should be the only one allowed to touch my face._

The girls all laid down in their chairs as the facialists came to work on them. Rhonda was in heaven, but kept her thoughts to herself this time.

The other girls sat there finding it a unique experience. All except one that is…

 _Crimety! You were so worried about my shoulders being tense. No here you are rubbing my face raw with these products! Heck, I can barely breathe with your freakin' fingers clouding my nose like this!_

Once it was over, Helga sat up feeling like she was taking her first breath of fresh air in weeks. _I'm never doing that again! Princess better get me one heck of a wedding gift!_

"What else can we do for you girls today?" the facialist asked as Rhonda instantly replied "We still need our manicures and pedicures!"

 _What do you mean 'need'_ Helga thought to herself, as the facialist showed them the way to the nail room.

Helga didn't realize it, but she had ended up enjoying everything so far EXCEPT for the facial. She walked out of the steam room feeling refreshed and became less tense during her massage. There was no telling how she would feel about this next activity.

The girls walked in to see enough tables for them each to have their own manicurist. Taking a seat, Helga more than well implied it was not 'her' idea to be there that day. "Are you okay sweetie? You don't seem to happy?" The manicurist asked, as Helga replied "This just isn't my thing. I'm not one of those fancy smancy types who has to grab a guy's attention by looking like someone who deserves to be on the cover of Pre-Teen Miss."

The manicurist smiled as she worked on Helga's nails. "I know what you mean. I never used to care about this stuff. At least not until I met my boyfriend." Helga looked up after hearing this.

"Did he make you feel like you had to wear this kind of stuff?" she asked anxiously.

Giving a puzzled look, the manicurist replied "He tried to encourage me to. I think he was just doing it to help me out. He knew how insecure I was about myself, and didn't want me to feel like I had to stay that way."

Helga's eyes grew as she continued to listen while the lady worked on her nails.

"I think he eventually realized that just wasn't the type of person I was though. A part of me was afraid to show off my feminine side, but still a huge part of me just didn't care to be like the other girls. He still loved me for who I was though, and I love him for always wanting to help me with my problems."

Helga had been so caught up with listening to how similar the lady's story was to hers and Arnold's story that she had forgotten she was having her nails done.

"And finished! How do you like them?" the manicurist asked.

"Huh?" Helga asked as she looked down at her nails. The lady had colored them a faded pink, similar to her tank top. It was noticeable she had them done, but not flashy like some girls would go for. "Oh, they look nice. Thanks!"

She then got up to sit in a chair across the room to wait for the other girls. As she waited, Helga thought about the similar relationship the manicurist had with her boyfriend that she had with Arnold. _I guess Arnold WAS just looking out for me. I mean crimity, that's what a relationship is!_

Not much longer after that, the other girls came over to show off their newly painted and manicured nails.

"Now! There is just one thing left ladies...pedicures!" Rhonda exclaimed as she was the one who was able to point the girls in the direction across the room of where they were.

Once the girls were all able to get a seat, their pedicurists pulled out their buffers, files and nail clippers.

"Oh my, you have such smooth skin, and perfectly filed nails !" The lady said to Rhonda, as she looked over proudly at the other girls. "Why thank you! I make sure to use only the best lotion and try out the latest nail supplies when I can."

Normally, it would just be Helga who sneered at such a comment, but even the other girls were a bit provoked by her pride.

After a few moments into the pedicure, Helga sat there still unamused until her pedicurist said "You have some rough skin around the edges of your feet. I'm guessing you spend a lot of time outdoors?"

Feeling a bit embarrassed at first, she eventually admitted "Yeah, I do. Or at least every now and then I'll play sports with my friends."

She wished someone else would receive a criticizing comment until her pedicurist spoke once again. "My daughter loves to spend time outside! She's never cared about how many guys or how few girls she was with. She just enjoyed things like sports, running, biking, etc."

A smile began to form on Helga's face, knowing there were other girls out there like her. Ones with the same interests, and who would choose rough activities over girlish ones in a heartbeat.

Once everyone was done, they headed to the counter to pay. "Thank you for everything!" Phoebe said to the receptionist. "You're certainly welcome! Come back soon!"

"Oh we definitely will!" Rhonda replied, leading the girls out the door. Standing there for a moment, Sheena finally spoke "What should we do now?"

After seeing Rhonda was too busy admiring her nails to suggest anything, Helga spoke up. "You guys want to come back to Arnold's so I can give the rest of you your bridal gifts?"

Their eyes lit up as Phoebe replied "That sounds wonderful Helga!" Everyone began to nod their heads as Helga lead the way home.

Making it there, Gerald was headed out just as the girls were walking in. "You guys weren't gone too long?" he admitted as Phoebe replied "We had quite professional workers."

"So, did you come for a celebration party here?" he asked wittingly as Helga placed her hands on her hips. "Nooo, they're actually here to receive their bridal gifts. Sheesh!"

Looking over at Phoebe, he listened to her ask, "Would you like to see us open them?"

Gerald shrugged his shoulders as he replied "Eh, why not?"

All of them returned inside to see Arnold sitting on the couch with his grandpa. "Oh, hey you guys! Back so soon?"

"Yes! You simply must try it out some time Arnold!" Rhonda insisted as he looked over at Helga rolling her eyes with her arms crossed, sitting on the couch beside him. "Uhh, that's okay Rhonda." he replied, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Suit yourself." she said, turning her nose up at him.

"These girls are here for there presents man. I hope you got 'em wrapped and ready to go!" Gerald insisted as Arnold jumped up from the couch.

"Oh right, I think they're still sitting in the kitchen. Be right back." he replied as he went to bring them in.

Watching the girls take a seat, Phil began thinking about the wedding. "So, wedding's Saturday 'eh?"

"Yes, and it's going to be absolutely splendid. I mean, aside from a few minor flaws that were completely out of my hands." Rhonda replied.

Phil couldn't help but laugh at her comment as he replied "Speaking of the wedding, when are you folks having the rehearsal dinner? Arnold hasn't spoken a word about it!"

Helga simply shrugged her shoulders as Rhonda nearly fainted. "OH - MY - GOSH! The Rehearsal Dinner! Was it not in the planner? How could this happen?! It's supposed to be the night before the wedding, but the bus leaves the morning OF the wedding!"

Back in the kitchen, Arnold was grabbing the presents off the table, when he suddenly heard "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Racing back into the living room with them, he found Rhonda crying on the floor, with Helga standing over her scowling "Oh give it a rest Princess! Sheesh!"

Setting the gifts down, Arnold looked at everyone with confusion as he asked "What happened, what's going on?!"

Phoebe sighed, replying "It seems we weren't as prepared for the wedding as we thought we were, Arnold."

"What do you mean?" he asked as he turned to Helga.

"Our said to be 'imperative' wedding rehearsal dinner wasn't in the planner. Bottom line, Princess here will end up having more asterisks on her designer resume than expected." Helga smirked as Arnold helped Rhonda off the floor.

"Don't worry about it Rhonda. We don't need a rehearsal dinner." he smiled as Rhonda began wiping the tears from her face. "Oh but Arnold, it's such an important part of the wedding! If you want everything to turn out perfectly, you must make sure everyone knows what to do!" she insisted as Helga sat on the couch with her hands buried in her face.

"I've got an idea! Why don't we set up for everyone to meet at the park to rehearse. I mean the wedding is going to be outside anyway. Gerald and I can call the guys, along with the officiant and schedule it for Friday! We'll have to call Olga too." Arnold suggested as Rhonda's face began to clear.

"I guess that could work." Rhonda admitted as the rest of the girls nodded.

"That idea sounds just oh too romantic!" Lila replied.

"Great! Gerald, since you're here anyway, do you want to help me call everybody while they open their gifts with Helga?" Arnold asked as Gerald stood up and sighed. "Man, you treat me like I'm YOUR wedding planner!"

As the guys left the room, Helga passed out the gifts. "Where's your gift Lila?" Sheena couldn't help but ask. "Oh, Helga invited me over for dinner the other night. It was oh so sweet of her!"

Meanwhile, the boys wasted no time on their phones in the kitchen, making sure they got everyone together for the gathering Friday night.

"Man Arnold, I've always said you were a bold kid. After this, I think I'll start saying you're one bold problem solver!" Gerald insisted as Arnold began to smile.

"Thanks Gerald. It's nice having so many dependable friends. Who would you like to call, the officiant or Olga?"

"You mean I actually get a choice?" he asked wittingly as Arnold replied "You are my wedding coordinator, so yes."

" .mmm! Alright then, I'll take the officiant. If I'm your coordinator, I do expect to get paid after this however." Gerald warned him as Arnold sighed "Whatever you say Gerald."

Back in the living room, the girls were finishing up opening their gifts. "Thank you for the presents Helga!" Sheena exclaimed as Nadine was eyeing her spray. "Yeah, this is great! I'll be sure to test this out tonight!"

Phoebe wasted no time putting on her bracelet, as she wrapped her arms around her best friend. "I'm so happy for you! You and Arnold make the best couple!

Rhonda did her best to hide her opinion. The only way she could do so however, was by leaving. "Well, I best be on my way. Thank you for the gift Helga."

Feeling guilty for her actions, Helga stood up to thank her. "No problem. Thanks for all your help with the wedding. Arnold said he would have been happy with anything, but I know this actually meant a lot to him….and to me."

Helga began to rub her arm, not expecting to let out as many feelings as she had. The rest of the girls tried not to get too emotional as Rhonda hugged Helga. Not expecting that, Helga stood there stiff, tempted to push Rhonda off of her. She then looked over at her best friend's smiling face, and realized how lucky she was to have people who cared about her, despite the angry attitude she couldn't seem to let go of.

The rest of the girls got off the couch as they saw Rhonda exiting the room. "We'll see you at the rehearsal, Helga. I'm looking just ever so forward to it!" Lila exclaimed as the rest of the girls waved goodbye to her.

Helga then walked into the kitchen as she saw Arnold finishing up a conversation with someone on the phone.

"Sounds great! See you there! Bye!"

Setting the phone, he turned to Helga and said "Everyone will be there Friday night at 7!"

Taking a seat with the guys, she asked "Who was that you sounded 'oh so happy' to hear was coming?"

"Olga. She says she has a surprise for you, but you can't see it until the wedding. I don't know why she mentioned it then?" Arnold wondered as Helga rolled her eyes. "Because the one thing the Golden child can't do is keep a secret!"

The guys couldn't help but laugh as Arnold placed his hand on Helga's. Not caring that Gerald was in the room, that was more than enough for him to see it was his time to go. "Well, I'll catch you guys later. Ya know, before I'm given anymore wedding coordinator duties."

Arnold turned towards his friends to do their secret handshake. "Okay Gerald, see ya!"

After they heard the door shut, Helga asked Arnold "So, where'd your parents run off to?"

"My dad took my mom shopping for a new outfit to wear to the wedding. She'll probably make him get something too." he laughed.

A moment of silence occurred as Arnold watched Helga examining her nails. "So, did you have any fun at all at the spa?" he asked hopefully.

Looking up at him, she shrugged her shoulders and replied "Eh...aside from that crazy facial, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be."

Giving her a half lidded gave, he lead her into the living room as he asked "What all did you do there?"

As they sat down on the couch, she replied "First, we went into one of those boiling steam rooms. Unless you're 'trying' to lose weight, I don't know why anyone would go in there 'willingly.' Pheebs was right as usual though. I did come out feeling refreshed."

"Sounds like our hot showers!" he said, taking her hand. Not noticing the touch of his hand, she laughed at his comparison. "Pttss...the only water in that room was the sweat puddle I made."

Shaking his head at her, he asked "What happened next?"

"Well, Rhonda was more than anxious to have us taken to the massage room. Oh man! She was moaning as if the massus working on her back was a guy working inside her!" Helga scowled as Arnold did his best not to laugh. Not that anyone would have heard them. His grandparents were upstairs, along with the other boarders.

"What about you? Did they not do a pleasant job on your back?" he asked curiously.

"I didn't let those weirdos touch my back! The lady wouldn't let me leave without doing something, so I let her rub my shoulders." Helga explained, as Arnold leaned in to put his hands on her shoulders. "Did it feel something like this?"

The tension dropped in her arms, as well as her face. She placed her hands on his and replied "No, it was more like this." The two drew closer, knowing what was about to happen. Unable to stop massaging each other, Arnold whispered "So the facial wasn't good?"

Normally, Helga would have smirked at such a question. The touch of her beloved against her erased all negativity however. She continued looking into his eyes as their faces drew closer. "No, it wasn't."

At last their lips met, and his hands went from on her shoulders to around her face. As their tongues met, she thought to herself _Arnold, your soft hands are the only ones meant for my face._

Still massaging him, she pulled him on top of her, as they laid on the couch together. Letting go for some air, he asked "So, was that everything you did?"

"No, we got our nails done too. That wasn't too bad actually. At least the women who did it were nice." she admitted as he glanced over at his shoulder, where her hands still laid. "Pink has always been your color."

Letting out a lovesick sigh, she barely noticed him sliding his hands under her shirt. "The rehearsal should be a lot of fun. If I had to pick a place aside from the beach for the wedding to be, I think I'd choose the park."

Smiling at him, she replied "I'm sorry I got so upset. Rhonda just irritates me with her need to make everything 'perfect!' I know she was just trying to help though. I also know how much this means to you, so it's good we got her to help."

Leaning down to give her a lingering kiss, they both laid there thinking about how rough the past eight months had been for them. Also, how worth it it had been to lead them up to this week.

"Don't worry about it. I'd marry you anywhere, no matter how big or small the wedding was." he assured her as he rested his head on her chest. She stopped rubbing his shoulders then to begin running her fingers through his hair. Not long after that, the two passed out on the couch together, happily holding each other.

A few hours later Arnold turned his head, thinking he had heard something. He began to rub his eyes as he stood up and yawned. There his parents were in the kitchen with their shopping bags, talking to his grandparents.

"Hey son, finally awake I see!" Miles pointed out, as Phil laughed. "Yeah, those two have been passed out awhile now." Helga then entered the kitchen after noticing there was no longer a warm substance sleeping on top of her.

"Hi sweetie! How was your day at the spa?" Stella asked as she watched Helga yawn. "Eh, not bad. Got my nails done. Then the girls came over to get their gifts."

"Sounds like everything's taken care of!" Stella replied as Arnold began to interrupt. "Actually, there is one thing we forgot about."

"What's that son?" Miles asked as Phil butted in "The rehearsal!"

Arnold rolled his eyes as his parents looked a bit shocked. Wondering how they could take care of that on such short notice. "Don't worry, I've already called everybody, and we're going to meet in the park Friday at 7 to rehearse. You're welcome to come too if you like."

Looking at each other, Miles replied "Well, I'm impressed you've stayed on top of things. We'll leave this up to you and your friends."

Leaving the kitchen, the Arnold and Helga stepped outside for some fresh air. "So now what football head?" she asked, not sure how to kill the rest of the day.

"We could go for a walk in the park. Figure out a spot for the rehearsal?" Arnold suggested as he took Helga's hand. She smiled, replying "Sounds good to me."

When the two of them arrived, they passed by the kids playing in the sandbox, the happy couples sitting on the benches, the usual people walking their pets.

"Crimety! There aren't any free spaces to do this!" Helga exclaimed as Arnold continued looking. Even Mighty Pete had been taken advantage of. Now that Arnold and his friends were too old for the tree house they'd build in it, other kids were free to spend their time there.

As they kept walking, Arnold noticed the fountain by the bench he had met Lila at when he had something important to tell her that day. He then stopped as he pointed and said to Helga "Hey what about there? That spot is empty!"

Helga stared for a moment, raising part of her eyebrow. "You mean, the spot where you spilled your guts to Little Ms. Perfect only so she could throw them back into your face?"

Arnold began to roll his eyes as he replied "Well yeah...and then you just happened to be 'climbing trees' at the time."

Helga's eyes widened a moment, until she finally shook her head and replied "Hey! Don't blame your inability to win over a girl on how I choose to spend my afternoons!"

"Whatever you say Helga." he sighed, leading her over there. The two then sat on the bench as they viewed that section of the park. "I guess this would be an okay spot for the rehearsal. Not too many things for Eugene to trip over." Helga pointed out.

Arnold smiled as he turned to look at his soon to be wife. "So I guess you heard everything when you were spying on us that day?" he asked as Helga began to blush.

"We are literally three feet away from the stinkin' tree. Of course I heard everything!" she scowled, as he couldn't help but smile.

"The worst part is...I did it to myself." she added as Arnold quickly turned to look at her. "What do you mean?"

"Look, I've done a lot of crazy things over the years to keep you in my life somehow. I just recently started confessing them to you, so I don't remember EVERYTHING I've told you." she began, as Arnold placed his hand on hers. "That's okay, I don't mind hearing it again. Think of me as your second Dr. Bliss."

"Oh shut up football head!" she scowled as she tried settling herself down. "Anyway, a week or so before that, you and all the other weirdos in our class were obsessing over Ms. Perfect. Every time I saw that, it made me lose hope over the chances that you and I could end up together one day." she began as Arnold listened attentively.

"As I stood in a nearby alley blurting out my feelings for you to myself, I decided to write 'Arnold loves Helga' on the walk in chalk. When I heard the other girls coming, my nerves got the best of me." she explained as Arnold then interrupted "So you replaced your name with Lila's?"

Nodding her head, Arnold wrapped his arm around her as she laid her head on his shoulder. "What do you think would have happened if you left your name up there?" he asked.

Widening her eyes, she looked up at him and replied "Uhhh I don't know. You wouldn't have believed I felt that way about you, and I would have been too embarrassed to admit it. That wouldn't have stopped the other kids from picking on us though. Which I guess is why I erased my name."

Pulling her close, he kissed her passionately, thinking about how this spot had a whole new meaning for him. What was once his first heartbreaking experience was now going to play an important role in creating the next chapter of his life.

Being so wrapped up in what they would one day just call 'the heat of the moment,' they didn't happen to notice Sid, Stink, and Harold viewing them.

"I wreckin' I don't know what I find crazier? That Arnold feels that way about Helga, or that we'll be in the weddin'?" Stinky said, scratching his head.

"It is pretty strange. At least he has someone though." Sid admitted, thinking about the fact that the three of them were still single.

The three of them headed home as Arnold as Helga were just then deciding to let go of each other.

Looking into her sapphire eyes, he said "I think everyone will like this spot. I know it means a lot to me." Her heart began to flutter as her eyes began to soften. He stood up to help her off the bench as they began walking back towards the boarding house.

Suddenly, Arnold stopped, nearly tripping Helga. "Hey, what's your problem football head?"

"I was just thinking, we never got to finish our tango. I don't see Arnie anywhere, if you'd like to pick up where we left off?" he suggested as she held out her hand. "Alright, but no rough housing this time!"

"You mean, nothing BUT rough housing." he replied, pulling her in tight. The two repeated their precise movements as if the fourth grade dance had been yesterday. All that was missing was some background music and a pool to end the dance with.

Rather than spinning her aside at the end, he leaned in to kiss her. Feeling her begin to laugh, he pulled away to ask "What's so funny?"

"Imagine kissing me in front of everyone that night. Now THAT would have been quite an April fools joke!" she insisted as he pulled her up. "We don't know that for sure." he said, winking at her.

The two then headed home, as they held hands under what was turning into a night sky with an occasional star. "It's funny, we weren't near any lights in San Lorenzo, but that night on the boat with you, I didn't really see any stars out." Helga said, looking up at the sky.

"That's true. It was just kinda foggy and windy out. I had a lot on my mind though, so I wasn't really paying attention to the stars." Arnold replied, trying to think back to the night.

"Pttss...Trust me, I remember what was on your mind." she said, rolling her eyes. He began to squeeze her hand tighter as he replied "You know Helga, you were pretty brave to tell me how you felt about me. I know I didn't handle it in the best way, but the fact that you didn't give up just makes me never want to give up on you, now that we are together."

Helga began to blush as she watched the one she had always admired smile at her with loving eyes. The two then made it to the boarding house. As they opened the door, Helga watched the animals fly out. "Guess this night decided to replace shooting stars with shooting pets."

"Whatever you say Helga." Arnold smiled, letting her in first.

The two walked into the kitchen, looking for a quick bite to eat. "You want some chips, or pretzels, or cookies?" Arnold asked, listing everything he saw in the cabinets.

Helga shook her head as she eyed the fruit bowl and replied "Nah, I'm just gonna have a banana."

"Since when do you eat healthy?" Arnold asked, raising an eyebrow. Looking at him angrily, she scowled "Since whenever I've felt like it football head! I eat bananas all the time!"

"Does that mean you should actually be marrying Monkey Man?" he couldn't help but joke, knowing he was just asking for it.

"Watch it hairboy! Unless you want me to find him and have him let one of his monkeys loose, so YOU can get Monkey Nucleosis!" she scowled as he raised an eyebrow. "Monkey Nucleosis, wasn't that from the boring science lecture Mr. Simmons gave us on fictional diseases?"

Helga began to blush as she swallowed her banana. "The heck if I know hair boy! That was like eight years ago!"

"You didn't actually think that was real did you?" he asked as she walked over to throw her peel in the trash.

"So what if I did? It's a free country. I can believe whatever I want!" she scowled, placing her hands on her hips.

Trying not to laugh at her gullability, he replied "I guess? How long before you realized it wasn't?"

Tugging at her collar, she searched for words "Uhh...uhh...let's go to bed. Phew, long day am I right?"

"Well okay then? I'll respect your privacy...although I wish you'd be less secretive." he said, hoping to guilt her into telling him.

Clenching her fists, she sat down. "Fine! You want an answer? Some lame-o with a pet monkey in the park slobbered all over me. I got it inside my head I got the stupid disease after my arm turned red. Picking up a banana after that didn't exactly calm me down." she began as Arnold couldn't help but laugh at her sarcasm.

"Anyway, a book from the library showed a list of symptoms to expect from it. After getting them all, it said the next thing to expect was death. So I called you, Pheebs and the rest of our lame-o classmates over to give my things to." she finished as Arnold's eyes widened.

"Wait? Were you about to tell me you loved me before Phoebe came racing in to say you had it all wrong?" Arnold asked, already knowing the answer.

Helga buried her face in her hands as she propped her elbows on the table. Arnold walked over to hug her as he said "I love listening to these stories."

Lifting her head up, she scowled "Why? Just to see me humiliate myself?"

"No. To remind me how much you love me." he kissed her on the cheek as a smile formed on her face. "Come on, let's go to bed."


	44. Chapter 44

Chapter 44: Let's Ride

Friday finally came; the day before the wedding! Arnold and Helga woke up together, knowing what was in store for them later that evening. "Morning Helga!" Arnold exclaimed, thinking about the wedding. She jumped a bit at the sound of his voice, as she began to rub her eyes and scowled "Crimety football head, I'm right here?!"

Beginning to blush at his excitement, he replied "Sorry Helga, I just couldn't help thinking about the wedding. Plus we have the rehearsal later."

Sitting up to stretch, she said sarcastically "Yeah, that ought to be fun."

"Of course it will!" he assured her while rubbing her shoulders. Kissing her on the cheek, he tossed the covers aside for the two of them to stand up. Walking over to grab his clothes, Arnold turned to admit something to Helga. "I still have something to take care of. To be honest, I'm surprised Rhonda didn't put it on the list." he said, scratching his head.

Lifting part of her eyebrow, she replied "What is it?"

"I still haven't gotten my tux. Would you like to come with me?" he asked, hoping she wouldn't be too upset.

Helga stood there trying not to laugh. Arnold was always on top of things. Very rarely did he have to worry about things not working out for him. "Oh football head… Perhaps Rhonda was right. You do need her to keep you in line." She teased him as he rolled his eyes at her comment. "I believe she was referring to BOTH of us, and if anything, you're the one who would have been lost without someone to help set things up for this big event."

Seeing the threatening look in her eyes, he realized he may have crossed a line. What with her river of insecurities being covered by a mountain of pride, it wasn't always easy to tell how far it was safe to take a joke with her. "So, umm...yea" he added, hoping to set the peace between them.

Noticing the unnecessary fear in his eyes, she replied "So this is how it's going to be? You think you can battle me? Helga G. Pataki, for the dominant spot in the relationship...and I think we both know this fashion crap is the only thing I have ever needed someone to 'keep me in line' for!"

As the two finished dressing, he gave her a questioning look "What's that supposed to mean?"

Shaking her head at his ignorance, she replied "Arnold, in every relationship there's a leader and a follower. A fierce and a gentle. An pessimist and an optimist. Fire and water. Do you REALLY think you're 'goody two shoes' attitude is strong enough to take the lead in our marriage?"

Listening to her not so flattering comparisons of the two of them, Arnold was tempted to point out their relationship was the one thing that always managed to bring out her vulnerable side. Being the caring person he was however, he simply replied "Whatever you say Helga."

The two then headed downstairs to see what was waiting for them in the dining room. Unfortunately, they came to find no one was down there. "Hey, where's your cowpoke riding, shortstack making family, football head?" Helga scowled as Arnold scratched his head.

"They must still be asleep. We did get up kind of early." he pointed out as she pointed a finger in his direction. "Correction, YOU got ME up kind of early. I could have continued sleeping in." she scowled.

Rolling his eyes at her, he replied "Well, let me make it up to you. We'll go get some doughnuts!" he suggested as she began to smile at his half lidded eyes. "Okay, but they better be first class! None of that dunkin' donuts crap!" she scowled as he sighed "Whatever you say Helga."

Heading for the door, he was tempted to grab the keys. When she saw him hesitate, she scowled "You'll be needing those to start the car, and quite possibly to unlock the door!"

"I was just thinking, maybe we could ride our bikes. We might not be doing much of that when college starts. I'll be starting work with Dr. Bliss soon, and you'll be doing your internship with the mayor. We should enjoy being young while we still can." he said, taking her hand.

She looked into his eyes, knowing the next few years wouldn't be easy. While their dream was to be together, and have their dream jobs, they weren't just going to be handed over. There would be some work involved.

"Okay football head. We still need the keys to unlock the door though." she pointed out. The two of them then went outside to grab their bikes from the driveway. As Helga got on, about to pedal out of the driveway, she saw Arnold sitting his bike beside her. "What are you waiting for?" she asked, waiting for his response. "I just wish there was a way to hold your hand while we biked there." he admitted as she began to roll her eyes. "Hey, it was your idea to pedal, rather than take the car!" she exclaimed as he then began to ride out of the driveway.

Arnold then took her to the best cafe in town. There they ordered chocolate doughnuts that tasted as sweet as the chocolate cake Helga couldn't help but smear all over her lips. "So, football head, you sure you want to get the tux with me? Wouldn't you rather do it with tall hair boy?" she asked, licking her lips, although not successful at cleaning her face.

Gazing at her, thinking to himself _what will our kids be like?_ He replied "Nah, I think I can relieve him of his wedding coordinator duties just this once."

"Pttss...oh gimme a break!" Helga exclaimed, as she continued "The guy's helped out by making a couple of phone calls. I didn't see him offering to pass out invites, make them, pick the hotel for the guests or do any other 'exclusive' activities!"

Rolling his eyes at her negativity, he replied "No, but that's what we had Rhonda for. Besides, look at where we are now? After the rehearsal tonight, everything will be taken care of!"

A moment of silence came as the two sat their thinking about what that would mean. Tomorrow, they would be going from boyfriend and girlfriend to husband and wife. Helga would be marrying what had always been the love of her life, and the last person she thought she'd be capable of hooking. Arnold would be marrying who had started out as the biggest bully in his life, and the last person he had ever pictured himself marrying.

"Yeah, everything will be taken care of." Helga said, clearing her throat. Sad that he couldn't take care of 'this' for her, Arnold said "You've got some chocolate on your face Helga." She began to search for it, as he grabbed a napkin. Leaning over the table to wipe her face for her, he thought to himself _is this how married couples act?_

Helga sat there, letting her love wipe her face, knowing she probably looked like a three year old. She didn't care however. Instead, she enjoyed the moment, thinking to herself _why couldn't it be your lips against my face instead?_

"All clean!" he laughed, leaning back in his seat. Snapping out of her thoughts, she began to blush as she replied "Uhh thanks. So, you ready to go?"

The two got up, as they headed out the door for their bikes. After having her face cleaned, Helga wasn't in the mood for biking. Rather, a different type of workout. She knew if the wedding was going to go well though, Arnold would need to look presentable.

Once they made it to the suit store, the two parked their bikes outside. Arnold walked in feeling a bit awkward. The last time he could recall buying a tux was when he was a kid for Coach Wittenburg's wedding. He was a few inches taller now, so that suit wouldn't do him much good.

Helga looked around the store as she said to him "Crimity, you men have it easy! Black or Blue? That's the only decision you have to make. Everything else is done for you!"

Arnold frowned at her, as he replied "Normally dress shopping is a girl's favorite part of wedding planning."

Arnold realized the long list of mistakes he had made saying that to her before she had a chance to glare at them. Taking her hand, he replied "But, I know that's not your thing."

Knowing he didn't mean anything by it, she decided not to let it get to her. As they made it to the counter, Arnold asked if he could try on the suit he had seen shortly after entering the store. Taking it to the dressing room, Helga followed him back there. "Would you like to come in?" he offered, as she stood there with her arms crossed. "Nah, don't want to get it all wrinkled up." she thought carefully.

"Yeah, I guess that's true." Arnold replied as he closed the door to the dressing room. Standing in his tux in front of the mirror, the thought to himself _Tomorrow I marry the love of my life! Tomorrow I marry Helga G. Pataki!_

As he walked out of the dressing room after changing, Helga looked at his wide grin "I'm guessing it fit well?"

Wrapping his arms around her, he pulled her in to kiss her. Enjoying the taste of what was left of her sugary breakfast, he began to moan. After Helga had finished getting lost in the moment, she realized anyone could see what they were doing. She pushed him off her, to say "Let's take it to the register." trying not to blush so heavily.

Arnold was too excited about their upcoming events to care about his appearance.

After paying, the two headed outside with the suit. Making it to the bikes, Arnold then realized it may not have been the best idea to turn down the car. "Sooo….how exactly do you plan to get that thing home, football head?" she scowled.

"Uhhh…" he stood there thinking as Helga crossed her arms. While appearing annoyed, she was dying of laughter inside. "I guess I have to call my grandpa to come pick it up." Arnold sighed, looking over at Helga. "So, you really think you could handle being the big shot in a relationship?"

Rolling his eyes at her need to win everything, he began to call his grandpa…

Ring...Ring...Ring…

"Hello?"

"Grandpa?"

"Hey shortman!"

"Do you think you could come pick up my tux for me?"

"Are you not there with it?"

"I can't bring it home myself."

"Well, why not?"

"We rode our bikes here."

"Why the heck would you ride your bikes to a tux store?!"

"Could you just come pick it up please?"

"Hahaha be right there shortman!"

After a few minutes of teasing from Helga, Phil pulled up at the store. "So, you thought you could ride home with your suit on that bike of yours, eh kids?"

"Don't look at me, I wanted to take the car." Helga insisted, with her arms crossed.

Rolling his eyes, Arnold handed over the tux as he replied "Could you just take it home please. We'll be there soon."

"Haha,,,you got it shortman!" Phil exclaimed, driving off, as the kids followed behind.

Just when they were about to follow, Helga received a text message. She pulled her phone out of her pocket to see it was from Olga. Arnold anxiously asked "What does it say?

"Olga's texting to let me know she won't be needing a ride to the wedding." she replied, as Arnold's eyes widened. "What do you mean? She's still coming right?!"

Sighing at his troubled expression, she replied "Yes football head, she's still coming. Just chill out!"

Letting out a sigh of relief, he replied "I guess that means we have a few extra seats to fill on the bus." After hearing Olga had a surprise, and then decided she didn't need a ride, Arnold had a pretty good idea of what they could expect to see at the wedding. He could only hope he was right.

Hopping on their bikes, Helga said "Yeah, I can't wait to have all this planning and organizing crap behind us."

The two then began to pedal home, counting down the hours until the rehearsal. When they arrived, seeing Phil already parked in the garage, Arnold walked over to the car. "Hey football head, the front door is over there!" Helga pointed, towards the front of the boarding house.

"I'm just making sure grandpa didn't leave my suit in the car. He... uhh... doesn't always think things through." Arnold admitted, looking into the window of the car. After seeing it was empty, he and Helga parked their bikes and headed for the front door.

After letting the zoo of animals fly by them, the kids heard their elders talking in the kitchen. "Oh good you're home!" Stella exclaimed, as the kids entered the room. Arnold sat at the table, assuming they had something to tell him.

"Son, Arnie's parents called us." Miles began, as Arnold leaned forward and Helga's eyes widened.

"What did they say?" Arnold asked nervously. He and Helga could only hope this meant what his parent's eager voices made it sound like.

"They get to keep the farm! After the wedding, Arnie will be going back to live with them!" Stella exclaimed as Phil shot up from the table, shaking their drinks. "Hallelujah! This calls for a celebration!"

Miles shook his head at his father's unnecessary outburst.

"That's great!" Arnold exclaimed, as Helga wiped her brow, sighing with relief.

"One thing though…" Stella began to add, as the kids began to tense up again.

"I told Arnie's parents they could come to the wedding, now that everything is straightened out." Stella informed them, as Arnold anxiously replied "Sounds great. Helga's sister just texted us, saying they won't be needing a ride. Arnie's parents can use the seats we saved for them!"

"Looks like everything worked out then, didn't it son?" Miles pointed out, patting Arnold on the shoulder.

"Yeah, I guess so. Well, Helga and I are going to get ready for the rehearsal." he replied, taking her upstairs.


	45. Chapter 45

Chapter 45:Rehearsal

Arnold and Helga had been spending the previous few hours texting their friends to remind them about the rehearsal in the park.

"Well, it looks like everyone is still coming. Including the officiant!" Arnold said happily, as Helga smirked "They better, after all the work we put into this!"

Sitting beside her on the bed, he replied "I'd do it all over again, just for you!" She began to blush as he held her hand in his. Looking into his eyes, she managed to say "I'd do the same for you."

He began to rub her thigh with his other hand as their faces drew closer. Just being near each other was enough to make them want to forget about any upcoming events. As she leaned in, with her lips drawing near his, they heard the alarm he had set on his clock…. "Hey Arnold! Hey Arnold! Hey Arnold!"

"It's 6:45. We should get going." he suggested, as she let out a deep sigh. "Alright football head, let's go."

Taking her hand to help her off the bed, Arnold lead her down the stairs, passed his family. "Bye everyone. See you after the rehearsal."

"See ya shortman!" Phil exclaimed, as they all waved goodbye to the soon to be newly weds.

As the two walked to the park, Arnold began to count down the hours until the wedding in his head.

"What's with the blank stare, football head?" Helga asked, as she watched him stare straight forward. "Huh? Oh, I just realized we now have less than twenty four hours before we're married. Twenty to be precise!" he replied, squeezing her hand tightly.

Her heart began to flutter. She didn't know what she loved more. Her dream coming true, or his excitement about it.

At last, they made it to the park, seeing they were the last two to arrive.

"Hey Arnold! Where you been man?" Gerald asked as he saw the two lovebirds approaching.

Scratching the back of his head, Arnold replied "Sorry Gerald, I didn't expect it to take more than a few minutes to get here."

Placing her hands on her hips, Rhonda replied "Well! You two better not be late to the wedding! That would be a disaster!"

Helga rolled her eyes at their wedding coordinator's ignorance. "Earth to Princess...we're taking the same bus!"

After listening to only a few minutes of pointless rambling, the officiant decided to butt in. "Excuse me, are we ready to begin?"

"Uhh...now what in the heck am I supposed to be doin' again? It's been awhile since I was at one of these things?" Stinky asked, scratching his forehead.

"You just stand to the side of Arnold. You don't have any lines to worry about." Gerald assured him as the officiant thought to himself _It's a good thing they wanted to practice!_

After everyone had taken their positions, the officiant started "Let us begin. 'Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today…."

As the kids stood there, Gerald could tell how nervous his best friend was. Every few moments, he would take one hand away from Helga's to wipe his neck with. He wasn't even completely able to keep eye contact throughout the rehearsal. Yet, every time Arnold was able to find the strength to look into her eyes, he noticed her eyes had not left his. Despite her rosy cheeks and her sweaty palms which made the vulnerability that existed within her shine through her eyes, she was still standing. Standing tall, standing strong, proving her love for him.

"Do you Helga take Arnold to be your lawfully wedded husband?" Arnold heard the officiant ask Helga as he watched her happily respond 'Yes' without the blink of an eye.

"Do you Arnold take Helga to be your lawfully wedded wife?" he heard himself being asked, as he once again rubbed his neck. Why was he so nervous? For several months, it was all he could talk about. Now they were at the finish line!

"I now pronounce you man and wife...You may kiss the bride!" It was at that moment Arnold's eyes met Helga's, his grip matching hers, his nervousness turned to excitement. They shared together, a long passionate kiss in front of their friends. Not caring about anyone's thoughts or opinions. After their lips parted, Arnold hugged her with relief and said, "You were right! It is best to just be married and have the stress of all the planning and organizing behind us."

"Pttss...Then maybe now you'll also admit I'm the one best fit to make the calls in the relationship." she smirked as he rolled his eyes "Whatever you say Helga."

As everyone began to clap for what would soon actually be an official couple, Phoebe gave her best friend a hug. "I knew this day would come for you!" she said cheerfully, proud of Helga for finally admitting her feelings to both Arnold and herself.

Arnold listened to these words and was once again reminded of how much Helga loved him. Before he could get too caught up in the moment however, he felt a nudge on his shoulder. "Well man, you're at the finish line! How are you feeling?"

"I feel great!" Arnold exclaimed as Gerald crossed his arms looking at his sweat covered shirt. "Really? Because your shirt begs to differ."

Seeing the sweat stains, he began to blush, rubbing the back of this neck, only to find remaining sweat that had built up back there. "Uhh,,,well. It is kind of hot out here."

"Whatever you say Arnold." Gerald replied, shaking his head at his nervous friend.

After wiping his hands on his shirt, Arnold announced "Well, thanks for coming everyone. I think we got what we needed to finished. Don't forget, we're meeting at The Knot at six tomorrow morning!"

"Alright man, see ya!" Gerald said, as the two did their secret handshake.

"It sounds oh too perfect!" Lila exclaimed, waving goodbye to everyone.

"Boy howdy! That's less than twelve hours from now!" Sid pointed out as the group rolled their eyes. "Uhh right, Sid." Arnold acknowledged.

The group then parted as Arnold and Helga shook hands with the officiant. "Thanks for your help with everything!" Arnold exclaimed.

"I don't see too many young marriages that last, but the look you two shared at the end of the ceremony really spoke to me...and you must really mean something to this young lady because she never took her eyes off you!" the officiant assured him, winking. Arnold and Helga then both began to blush at his words, but were filled with relief in their hearts about how the other one felt.

Taking her hand, he asked "Ready to go home?" as she replied "You don't have to ask me twice!"

It was the beginning of summer, meaning it was staying lighter later in the evening. The two walked home, feeling like they had just had the perfect start to their summer break. When they made it back to the boarding house, the two of them leaned against the side of the house. Arnold wrapped his arms around his 'unofficial' wife as the two looked up at the sky with an occasional star. "It's so nice out tonight." Arnold said, holding Helga tightly.

"Yeah, it's not to bad out. I know Nadine was paying more attention to those chirping crickets than she was our ceremony!" Helga pointed out as Arnold couldn't help but laugh.

"Maybe we should make good use of this nice weather." he winked as she raised part of her brow at him. "How so?"

Arnold then opened the door to the boarding house, almost forgetting about the risk of being trampled. Helga quickly stepped behind him, shocked he hadn't been more prepared. "Sheesh Arnoldo! Where's your head at?"

Ignoring her response, he pulled her inside, until he was stopped. "Hey shortman! How'd it go?" Phil asked, as his parents waved him into the kitchen.

"It went well. Everything went as planned, so we shouldn't have any problems tomorrow." Arnold assured them, not knowing what else to say.

"It's too bad you missed the sweat puddles your son created out there. I don't think he'll be wearing that shirt two days in a row!" Helga smirked as the whole room laughed at Arnold.

"You sound just like your father Arnold!" Stella assured him as both Arnold and Miles began to blush.

"Uhh yeah, well we're both tired. We should get some sleep. We all have to be up early for the bus." Arnold said, as he took Helga upstairs.

Making it to his bedroom, the first thing Arnold did was change his shirt. As he began to throw the other one off, Helga exclaimed "Oh no! Don't you throw that thing anywhere near my stuff!"

Rolling his eyes at her dramatics, he replied "Ya know Helga, if we're going to be married, I would think you would be able to handle a little dirty laundry?"

"Hey! Do you want me to cook or clean? Cuz I'm not doing either!" she exclaimed as he shook his head at her. After changing his clothes, he saw her taking her usual seat on the bed. He walked over to reach out his hand for hers. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"Come with me." he insisted, as she took his hand. He lead her through his glass roof and up onto it. At that point, more stars had started to show. Not too many, considering all the lights, the city still had shining. Hillwood seemed to be known for its light pollution.

"I thought it would be nice to sit up here for awhile." he suggested as he propped his back against the shed. Motioning for her to join him, she replied, "Not a bad idea football head," as she took a seat in his lap, resting her head on his shoulder.

After a moment of silence, Helga couldn't help but say "So, you were pretty nervous out there. You gonna be okay tomorrow, or should we just go ahead an elope now? Either way, Princess got her wedding planning practice in."

Leaning against him, she could feel him clearing his throat. As she turned to look at him, he replied "Yeah, I'll be fine. I just started thinking about the great person I'm about to marry. I thought to myself 'In so many ways, I don't deserve her.' I guess my guilt got the best of me, especially when I saw the vulnerable look you were carrying on your face.'" he admitted, as she turned to face him completely.

"Will you ever change?!" she scowled as his eyes grew. A sudden terror filled his heart, as though he could sense whatever wonderful moment these past few months had lead them up to, had all just been thrashed by that one confession. Honesty was good for their relationship though wasn't it? It was what he had been pushing her to realize from the start of their relationship. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about the fact that you ALWAYS have to do the right thing! Just let yourself be happy! Stop worrying so much about other people! Sheesh!" she exclaimed. A sense of relief filled his mind, knowing that had never been a trait of his she envied...at least wouldn't admit that she did. Much like how he felt about her and her dominate behavior. Although he didn't appreciate the way she insisted on using it to hide her passionate side, he admired her ability to take care of herself. The way she wasn't willing to let others push her around; no matter how they made her feel on the inside. There were positives and negatives to both of their best traits.

"You really want me to make myself happy?" Arnold asked as Helga threw her arms in the air, frustrated that he would even feel the need to ask such a question. They were about to be married. Why would she want him to be anything BUT happy? "Yes dingus!"

Without letting her say another word, he fell on top of her, pinning her down against the roof. Getting in her face, gazing with half lidded eyes, he replied "I think I'm pretty happy like this." If honesty was the most important thing in their relationship, that pretty much said it all for him. Lying there on top of her, gazing into her eyes, knowing that by that point and time tomorrow, she would belong to him. His growing sense of desire to claim her as his own was quite similar to what Helga had felt for him since the moment she laid eyes on him.

Laying still, breathing slowly, she couldn't think of a smart mouth response. "Uhh yeah, this works for me." Normally her thoughts were much more scattered than his. They would move from one direction to another on how wonderful life would be if he only knew her true feelings. Yet, the humiliation that would be brought upon her, not to mention the lost hope for any future they may share together if she were to take things too far between them. For the first time in months though, she just felt so...settled. Her mind was at is, until a familiar topic was brought up.

Getting closer to her face, he pressed their noses together "Like you said, every relationship has a leader and a follower. A tough guy and a weakling. If you're really the tough guy, you have to expect things like that from me."

As much time had passed over the years, she would always think of him as the sweet sensitive boy from grade school. The boy who just HAD to do the right thing. Play by the rules. If anything steered him to do otherwise, it was almost too much to handle. Although she trusted him to take over as the leader in their 'heat of the moment' situations, it took all her strength to keep it together. She didn't want to APPEAR weak (whether or not he knew she was giving into him).

Her heart began to pound as their lips began to touch. "Do you think you can handle the stress of dealing with that? Or is it too much for Helga G. Pataki?" That changed things completely. It was one thing to let him have his moments of victory, but to challenge her level of power? The strength of her capability?

Seeing her glare at that, he pressed his lips tightly against hers. Her eyes remained opened, as if she was ignoring the kiss. Her strength had just been questioned. She had just been challenged. Although she knew he was joking, she laid there wanting to throw his words back into his face. Too much for Helga G. Pataki? Who did he think he was?

When he let go of her lips he noticed the glare hadn't left her face. As she was thinking of the best witted way to throw that back at him, he added "If anyone could handle the stress of dealing with someone like that, I know it's you."

Her glare then loosened as her eyes went half lidded. She loved being in charge of everything, but if there was one person she ever would be willing to admit defeat to, he was in front of her now.

Moving his hands behind her head, he pulled her closer to him. Pressing their lips together tight, he began to breathe heavily as he heard her begin to moan. Switching the angle of their heads, the two fell further into the experience as they each felt the other's body begin to shake. Letting their lips loose for a breath of air, Arnold gazed at her heavily moving chest. Just as he noticed a spot on her shirt, she scowled "Now you're drenching MY laundry!"

Rolling his eyes at her, he took note of the warm summer air. That and the fact that they were alone. "For the time being I am! Don't worry, I think I can help." he assured her, as he sat her up. Her confused look disappeared when she went from pinned down to having him lift her arms up. Normally, being exposed wouldn't seem like the smartest way to guarantee the success of their marriage. With him being the only one around however, she was willing to go through with it.

He then laid her back down, shirtless, as he bent down to kiss her passionately. Parting her lips with his tongue, the two felt a connection they hoped would match the feeling of their marriage. Every movement of their tongues, exploring inside each other, made them think of how far they'd come since their first one. How much the meaning of their lips meeting had changed.

Helga's first time was just having felt the excitement of having finally made the connection with her beloved; even if it was just physical, no emotion received on his end.

Arnold's first time was completely unprepared. Even if he had known what she was about to do, he wouldn't have felt the same passion (let alone any) from it. They were only nine? To hear she loved him at that age didn't even seem humanly possible.

Now, here they were emotionally on the same page. Every touch of each other, every shiver, tingle, love sick sigh, made every difficult task they'd been through worth it. As they laid there on the roof, his hand still under her head, while his other behind her waist, their tongues began to wrestle. Going from the soft touch of feeling the inside of each other's cheeks, to pulling the other closer with the tight wrap of their tongues. Who was more dominant in this activity? It didn't seem as though either of them was going to play the vulnerable part.

Despite the tight hold he had on her mouth, she began to moan. He let out a deep breath through his nose, as he laid her down to touch the roof completely. Feeling then the hand that had been around her waist, sliding up to unhook her bra.

 _I don't think my parents will come up here. At least, I hope not!_ Arnold thought to himself, as Helga had a somewhat similar thought. Her body began to shiver. Partly at the idea of being seen, partly when feeling his hands sliding to touch her breasts. Rubbing them with his hands, he hadn't released his grip on her tongue.

Feeling her shiver as he ran his fingers across her nipples, he thought it might be a good time to go inside. Yet, the dominant part of HIM just wouldn't stop. Not until he won the tongue war that is. He could feel her continuing to wrestle with him, despite what he had hoped would be a distracting massage he was giving to her breasts. Then he remembered the stubborn person he was dealing with. That couldn't help but turn him on more a bit. He suddenly felt the urge to rub their parts together. Going as hard as he could without removing their lower articles of clothing, it wasn't long before…

Once again, wetness formed on his pants. Their passionate lip wrestling was then mutually interrupted. Arnold looked down at the moist spot which had been formed, as his soon to be wife said...

"First your shirt, now your pants? Sheesh football head!" she exclaimed as he laid his sweaty head down on her chest. Too exhausted to move, he laid on her, breathing harder than she scowled at him, not caring who saw them at that point.

He turned his head to kiss her chest, still not having the strength to pull himself up to her face. She laid there, running her fingers through his soft yet sweaty hair, with nothing better to do than stare at what little stars were in the sky, while her soon to be husband tried to catch his breath.

After a few minutes of listening to heavy breathing, and feeling the warm summer air against her chest, she asked "Arnold? Are you okay?" He was finally able to bring his head up. "Yeah, let's go inside." he suggested, helping her up. While she couldn't have enjoyed that more, she was happy to have her clothes back. Being vulnerable to Arnold inside his room was one thing. On the roof, was a whole new experience.


	46. Chapter 46

Chapter 46: I DO! I DO! OH I DO!

"Hey Arnold! Hey Arnold! Hey Arnold!"

It was 4:00 am, when Arnold leaned over Helga to shut off his alarm _We need to start switching sides of the bed to sleep on._

After sitting up straight to rub his eyes a moment, he thought to himself _I'm getting married today! I'm actually getting married!_

Looking over at his soon to be wife, he anxiously shook her arm. When all he received from her was a moan, he added "Helga! Wake up! It's our wedding day! We can't miss our bus!"

Her mind stirred at the sound of 'wedding day' but it still took her eyes a moment or two to adapt to the fact that it was only four in the morning.

As she began to prop herself up with her elbows, Arnold bent down to kiss her. While their tongues met, they weren't as concerned about who played the dominant role this time. Softly letting go, he said "Good Morning Mrs. Shortman."

Still propped on her elbows, Helga gave a dazed look, thinking to herself _Crimity! I'm not even awake, and he already has my head spinning!_

As the two got up, they thought about the excitement that awaited them later that day…

"Just think, nine hours from now, we'll be saying our vows in front of all our friends and family." Arnold smiled, as he waited for Helga to finish getting ready. This was the first time since he didn't know when that he had been dressed before her.

Grabbing her dress from the closet, Helga replied "Yeah, how much you wanna bet your cousin snorts more times than Eugene trips during the ceremony?"

Arnold rolled his eyes as he grabbed Helga's shoes for her. Remembering the day Olga brought them over, Arnold said "I hope your sister makes it there okay."

Helga placed a hand on her hip as she was getting ready to open the bedroom door. "Pttss….please! I think the golden child can handle a little traffic."

The two then went downstairs to see their family waiting for them in the kitchen. "Hey shortman! It's your big day!" Phil said, winking at his grandson.

A smile grew on Arnold's face as Helga couldn't help but blush. She wasn't one for attention when it came to personal matters.

Looking over at his parents, Arnold asked "Are we having breakfast this morning?"

A guilty look came across Stella's face as she replied "I'm sorry sweetie, but we didn't have time to cook this morning. It will have to be cereal."

Arnold turned to Helga, feeling a bit disappointed _I should have gotten up earlier to cook her something._

"Fine by me. Like I said, I practically lived off this stuff growing up." Helga replied, trying to hold back a yawn. The kids sat down at the table with their bowls, after Helga laid her dress in a safe spot on the couch in the living room.

"This is such a pretty dress!" Stella exclaimed, Helga heard her shout over the sound of her loud chewing. Had she been more awake, she might have cared to respond.

Taking their last few bites from their bowls, Miles looked down at his watch. "It's after five! We've got to get to The Knot!"

Rushing their bowls to the sink, Arnold and Helga grabbed their things, as their family followed them out the door. Passing the herd of animals, Arnold asked "So, are we going to pick up Arnie?"

Helga's eyes grew at the thought of having to sit beside him again. They were peacefully lowered when she heard "No, his parents picked him up from the shelter last night. They're meeting us at The Knot." Stella explained.

"Phew!" Phil exclaimed as he wiped his brow. Apparently, Helga wasn't the only one feeling a bit of relief from that information.

The six of them all crammed side by side into the Packard, to head over to The Knot. Gertie sat up front with Miles and Stella, while Phil was in the back with Arnold and Helga. Between the suitcases and anything they needed for the wedding, it was a tight fitted space.

"Crimety! I have no leg room headboy!" she exclaimed as Phil couldn't help but laugh. "Leg room huh? Just imagine what sharing a bed together will be like." Phil winked as he nudged his grandson's shoulder. Arnold blushed harshly as he replied "Grandpa! We already DO share a bed."

"Heh heh! Right, right. If she's anything like your grandma, she's a classic cover hog!" Phil laughed as Helga slid down in her seat. If she was that way in bed, Arnold hadn't mentioned it. Neither of them could look at each other. Arnold embarrassed by his grandfather's words and actions. Helga, by what she was being described as.

 _Crimity! All this attention is killing me! Why oh why didn't we just elope! Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!_

"We're here everyone!" Miles exclaimed as they pulled up at the lot. The kids immediately forgot about their embarrassing comparisons as they began to put their attention towards what was out the window.

After parking the car, the family anxiously exited, as Arnold took Helga's hand. He couldn't help but notice her shaking. She appeared to be her more insecure self than she was the previous night. "Are you okay?" he leaned over to ask, as the two walked a few feet behind his relatives.

"I'm just a little nervous. I mean crimety, we're getting married! Plus, you're sweaty palms aren't exactly what I would consider to be encouraging!" After feeling his other hand he wasn't holding hers with to observe the moistness of it, he moved it to the back of his neck to find sweat building up there as well. "Uhh, yeah, I guess I see what you mean."

A moment of silence passed before they were only a few steps away from the bus. As Helga's eyes widened, Arnold looked to her and whispered. "Everything's going to be fine. You told everyone you loved me. Don't let this scare you."

Hearing those words gave her a bit of comfort, as she turned to glance at him. _I'd kiss his sweet, encouraging lips if it weren't for all these judging eyes around us!_

As they made it to the bus, their hands parted when Phoebe came to wrap her arms around Helga. "Oh Helga! This is wonderful! Your day is finally here!" she exclaimed, feeling as happy for her friend as she was proud of her. All their lives, she knew how difficult it had been for Helga to stow her true feelings for Arnold. Even after admitting them to him, she still found it to be too much to let it be known to the world. How could she out of nowhere walk into school one day and let everyone think... _Okay, the coolest kid in school with the biggest bully in school? How crazy is HE for liking HER? What makes HER think she has a chance with HIM? Either way, what a great chance to mock them! Payback for everything she's done to us over the years!_ She did it however, with the encouragement of her best friend and the love of her life. The only two people she ever needed support from to get her through life.

As Helga was finding comfort in her best friend's arms (not to mention the happiness shown for her), Arnold was tapped on the shoulder by another supporting friend. "Hey Arnold! It's your big day! It was quite a ride getting here my friend!" Gerald said, as the two did their secret handshake.

"Tell me about it! I think Helga and I both are just ready to be married and have all this crazy event planning behind us." Arnold replied, as he rubbed his neck to see if any of the sweat had cleared. No such luck had begun to appear.

Shaking his head at his petrified friend, Gerald replied "You look like Chocolate boy when he knows he's reaching the bottom of his bag of malted milk balls!"

Arnold rolled his eyes at his friend's unnecessary simile, as he replied "Yeah, well I'm sure I'll feel better by the time the ceremony starts. It's just, uhh, pre-wedding jitters."

"Whatever you say Arnold." Gerald replied, with crossed arms.

Arnold then looked away from his friend to see someone standing less than two inches from him. It was not Helga.

"ARNIE!" he exclaimed, not having expected to see him so suddenly. "Snort. Hey. Snort. My parents are here. Snort. We got the farm back." Arnie replied in his usual straightforward voice.

The sweat continued to pour from Arnold's back as he replied "Yeah, I uh, heard. That's great!" Still nervous about what he may do around Helga, Arnold began to head for his friends until he was stopped once again. "Snort. Do I get a seat near the front. Snort. Where I can see Helga?"

Arnold began to clench his fists. Partly at the idea of Arnie not being able to take a hint. Partly because he just wanted to get away. "Yeah, that's fine Arnie." Arnold sighed, running as fast as he could.

He got back just as the bus was beginning to load. "Okay everyone! Let's get going!" Miles instructed, as their friends and relatives boarded. The adults sat near the front, while the kids sat near the back. Everyone, except Arnie. His parents happily made him sit their the front with them, as they told Arnold's parents and grandparents about the time they spent working things out to keep their home.

Once everyone was situated, Arnold sat in the center back seat with his arm wrapped around Helga, while she sat with her arms and legs crossed. Despite the annoyed look he could sense on her face from his cousin being there, he was just relieved to be away from him.

"Whilikers Arnold! You two are about to walk down the aisle together! Seems like just yesterday she was spraying water in your face at the fountain!" Stinky reminded them as he turned around in his seat to face them.

Arnold looked at his fiance to smile, seeing her cheeks begin to blush. "Yeah, a lot's changed since then, Stinky."

"I'll say it has! I mean, every day I see you feeding her your lunch, rather than her skipping you in line to steal it from you!" Sid pointed out as he too turned to face them.

Arnold then began to blush as well, as Helga's eyes widened. Gerald couldn't help but slap his face at the comment. He knew exactly what the guys were talking about, but still didn't find it necessary to mention.

Helga began to feel trapped, as Arnold's hold on her tightened. It was one thing to be open in public, but to find out they were the ONLY thing on their friend's minds all year. It was a little nerve wrecking for the two of them. All he could do to make himself feel better was protest why there was nothing wrong with what they were doing. He couldn't do that on their wedding day however. All he could do was sit and be vulnerable to their notifications.

Thankfully, the topic changed a bit when they heard someone feel the need to steal the spotlight however.

"Well, they have ME to thank for getting them this far in their relationship. I mean after all, I AM their wedding coordinator!" Rhonda butted in as both Arnold and Helga couldn't help but roll their eyes at her.

"There IS going to be food at this thing right? If I have to work, I should at least get to eat afterwards!" Harold insisted as everyone looked at each other in disbelief at his attitude.

"Harold, you are not working. You're simply standing still, while listening to Arnold and Helga marry one another." Rhonda explained to him, from the other side of the bus.

Not liking the idea that he still had to stand for an hour, he leaned back against the window with his arms crossed, pouting.

Bringing the attention back to herself, Rhonda asked "So, Helga. Where is your family? I mean, I at least expected to see Olga?"

Arnold's eyes lit with fear. He knew Helga was already a bit on the edge, what with this big event, acting sensitive in front of fifty people, then having to put up with Arnie. She didn't need to have her family brought up!

"Heck if I know! Olga said she didn't need a ride. That she's got some sort of 'surprise' planned. Watch it be that she doesn't show up." Helga snarled as she kept her arms crossed, turning away from the group.

A moment of silence took over, as Arnold began to rub her shoulder. He knew extra attention was the last thing she would want in this type of situation; especially if it involved pity. Looking at her though, he just couldn't help but say "Don't worry, she'll show up Helga."

"Arnold's right, Helga! Olga loves you and wouldn't let you down!" Phoebe assured her. She felt a bit risky adding that last part, knowing how over the years, all Helga's family had been known to do was let her down. All they could do was have faith, as she looked up at her best friend, sitting beside her.

Helga began to give a weak smile that was suddenly interrupted by "Thump! Ow! I'm okay!"

The group looked up a few rows to see Eugene had fallen out of his seat. Rhonda threw her face in her hands as she looked over to Arnold and said "I cannot believe we made him a part of the wedding!"

The other kids shook their heads as Gerald replied "Whatever you do, don't let him near the cake!"

Harold sat up from the window as he jammed his fist into his other hand. "Oh man, if he messes up the cake, there's gonna be a poundin'!"

Helga couldn't help but stop the dramatics as she turned to reply, "Oh put a sock in it, ya big wuss! There's plenty of food there!"

Rhonda shook her head at Helga's unbridal like attitude as she turned to look at Nadine. "Umm Nadine, what is that in your hand?"

Nadine proudly held up her can of attractive bug spray she had received from Helga. "Oh, I'm using the wedding gift Helga gave me in case there just happen to be any interesting insects around."

As Helga leaned back thinking to herself _I knew that was a mistake_ Rhonda swatted the can away from herself. "No! No way Nadine! You are not turning the wedding into a camping trip!"

"I wreckin' that's just about the weirdest gift I've ever seen!" Stinky insisted, scratching his head.

Nadine looked down at the can as she replied, "It's not weird! It's great for observing nature!"

Arnold began to smile at Nadine's theory. "It's true. My parents used it on their missions to the jungle!"

The kids all began to give each other questioning looks until Lila finally broke the silence. "So Arnold, I'm just looking ever so forward to the beach! What will you and Helga be doing after the reception?"

Arnold looked over to see Helga looking back at him. The two hadn't really planned anything aside from spending the night at the beach house, then heading back home the next morning.

"Uhh...we'll probably just go right to sleep. I'm sure we'll be pretty tired. Plus we'll be leaving for our trip to San Lorenzo when we return home." he pointed out.

Rhonda shook her head at the idea of spending their honeymoon in such a hot sweaty environment, as Lila replied "It sounds just oh too perfect."

Finally, the kids pulled up at the destination. Arnold reached for Helga's hand after getting up, when he saw the hard time she was having making herself move. By the time the other kids had cleared, they were the last two left on the bus...or so they thought. As they stood in the back together, Arnold put his hands on her shoulders and said "I promise, everything is going to be fine."

A smile began to form on her face as he kissed her. Her knees went weak, while she was still shaking from the fear of going through with this. After letting go of her lips, he added "let's go get married." Just saying those words sent chills down both their backs.

Passing the front seats, a face which had been waiting for them shot up. "Snort. I'm sitting up front. Snort. Where I can see Helga's dress."

Arnold put a hand to his face as Helga clenched her fist. "Whatever. We have to go Arnie." Arnold replied, as the three of them left the bus.

Heading towards the hotel, they saw all their vendors had arrived. Arnold took Helga's hand, walking her over to Dino Spumoni. "Hey Arnold! It's your big day! Dino said, standing in the parking lot with Don.

"Yeah, we just wanted to thank you. You know, for being here and getting Helga her internship. It all means a lot to us." Arnold admitted as Dino began to smile. "Don't sweat it kid. You were practically me only fan for a long time. It's the least I could do!"

"Thanks, well I guess we better get inside." Arnold insisted, as he waved goodbye to Dino. Walking towards the hotel, Arnold became nervous about where Helga's family could be. Olga was supposed to be helping Helga get ready for the wedding. Helga certainly wasn't going to style her own hair or do her own makeup.

Once they made it inside the hotel, all the kids and their relatives went up to the front desk. Arnold's father was speaking with the receptionist about where the kids would need to go to prepare for the ceremony.

"This place is absolutely perfect! I cannot wait to come back after the reception!" Rhonda exclaimed as Helga looked around, placing her hands on her hips. She was beginning to wonder herself where Olga could be.

Suddenly, her thoughts were interrupted by Stella "Okay, you girls will be getting ready in these rooms." she informed them, as she passed out the numbered cards.

Right away, Rhonda dragged Helga and the other girls to the elevator to reach the room they were assigned to. Rhonda walked hurriedly there, while Helga took her time, pacing slowly, staring at the floor. Her anxiety had been replaced with a familiar disappointment. It wasn't unusual to be forgotten by her family, but the feeling never softened as she was reminded of it during every special event in her life.

"Here we are girls! Room 256!" Rhonda exclaimed as she marched in with the other girls. Helga stood outside a moment, going unnoticed. She took a deep breath, as she stood there thinking to herself _This is it! The day I've been dreaming of! So what if no one's here to see it. I'm marrying Arnold! My dreams are coming true!"_

Helga then lifted her head, as she walked in the door to see the girls crowded around someone. "And I brought my curling iron from high school, and my makeup from college. I even bought some new…Oh high baby sister!"

Helga's eyes widened to see Olga already in the room, waiting for them! _I should have known. The Golden Child is always five steps ahead of everybody!_ Helga thought to herself, as she sent Olga a weak smile.

Olga came running up to Helga to give her a suffocating hug. Trying to ignore the pain, Helga was just grateful someone in her family cared about her. Even if it was the coveted child.

Letting go of her sister, Olga added "Oh baby sister! It's your big day, and we're going to make you look extra special!"

Helga gave a suspicious look as she thought to herself _Oh crimety! What's she going to do to me?_

Rhonda didn't waste a second picking up the makeup as she examined the bag it was in. Looking at the black quilted trained cosmetic bag, Rhonda had to give her opinion. "I must say Olga, for someone so stylish, this bag is so last year!"

The coveted young lady turned away from her sister whom she was having sit in a chair centered in the hotel room. "Oh I know. It was given to me when when I became class valedictorian. I was only fifteen at the time, which means Helga had to have been around three. Do you remember baby sister?"

Helga remembered all to well. It was the start of preschool for her and where she would find a whole new identity. Instead of letting others push her around, she learned to defend herself. Instead of feeling neglected, she found something...or someone...who gave her a reason to believe life was worth living.

She began to blush as Olga placed a hand on her shoulders. "Uhh yeah, I may remember that a little."

Giving a smile to her younger sibling, Olga replied "Well, we'll make sure this is a day you NEVER forget! Now, first we need to figure out what to do with your hair!"

Before Rhonda could butt in with her usual opinions, Lila squealed with her hands folded "I'm ever so certain I just adore you with your pigtails Helga!"

An awkward silence filled the room, as the girls all looked at the redhead in the green dress. Normally anything that came out of her mouth was more than well agreed with. Even Rhonda was head over heels with her choice of fashion. This comment however even had Helga raising part of her eyebrow. Not that SHE cared about looking pretty, but why would anyone be impressed by her pigtails?

 _I shouldn't be shocked. The last person to throw out an insule would be little miss perfect!_ Helga thought to herself after a moment of utter shock.

"Thanks but, I think I've outgrown that look for the most part. Every now and then I'll wear them." Helga said as Olga continued to play with her hair.

"Hmmm...what about we french braid it?! Or I could simply crimp it!" As Olga made these suggestions, the other girls tried to picture how Helga would look, until Phoebe reminded them of something. "Although Tracey is no longer our stylist, perhaps we could still use the image from her hair style book that we found to be similar to the night you and I shared at Chez Paris with Arnold and Gerald."

The other girls thought back to the picture as Olga immediately exclaimed "Oh! Oh! Let's try it! Oh baby sister! You're going to look so romantic!"

Although she was happy to have a family member there, Helga couldn't help but roll her eyes at Olga's usual annoying excitement.

On the other side of the hotel, the boys were getting ready with Arnold. They all felt impressive in their new suits. It reminded them of coach Wittenburg's wedding. Everyone was smiling as they viewed themselves in the mirror. Everyone that is, except for Arnold.

"Hey Arnold! What's wrong man? You can't let everyone see you up there looking like that! If that's the face you plan on wearing to the ceremony, you might as well bring out the divorce papers now!" Gerald insisted as he placed a hand on his frowning friend's shoulder.

Arnold sighed as he turned to look at Gerald. "Gerald, I feel so bad for Helga."

Gerald could have come up with plenty of reasons as to why he might have felt that way. Rather than tossing out a witty remark, he simply responded "What for man?"

"We pulled up at the hotel and never found Olga. What if she doesn't come? It's bad enough her parents aren't coming. When Olga said she wasn't going to ride the bus because she had a surprise for Helga, I thought that might mean the whole family was coming. Now here we are, and I haven't seen any of them!" Arnold finished as he turned to sigh.

"Alright, calm down buddy. The ceremony hasn't started yet. I'm sure she'll be there. Besides, if they don't show, you're all the family she needs." Gerald said as Arnold turned to look at him.

"Seriously man, you've been the center of that girl's mind her entire life. Be it positive or negative. I think she'll survive without her relatives as long as she has you!" Gerald insisted as Arnold's frown eventually turned to a weak smile.

"Thanks Gerald." Arnold replied, as the two did their secret handshake. Looking over himself in the mirror, the other boys entered the room.

"Hot dang! I haven't looked this snazzy since Coach Wittenburg's weddin'!" Stinky pointed out, as he tugged at his jacket, pulling back his hair.

While the rest of them stood there getting a good look at themselves, Sid replied "Yeah, I look pretty good in this thing!"

Gerald stood there with his arms crossed as he replied "Sid, you're about to start college and you're still wearing that cap and boots to a wedding?"

"Hey! Lay off my boots! Plus, I think Arnold would agree I look better with the hat on." Sid argued as the guys all turned to Arnold….

"Uhh...he can keep it." Arnold replied, rubbing the back of his neck. Never wanting to give his opinion if it meant hurting someone.

"What about you bubba? That shirt's about two sizes too small?" Gerald shook his head as he looked in Harold's direction.

Trying to pull it down over his stomach, he had no such luck. "Ohhh, I'll be fine. I mean, we'll only be up there a few minutes before we start eating anyway right? Right?" Harold asked anxiously as Gerald smacked his face with his hand.

Arnold was too busy thinking about Helga to care about what the guys looked like at that point.

Meanwhile, the girls had just finished Helga's hair. "Oh baby sister! You look beautiful! I don't think I've ever seen you without your pigtails before?" Olga began to sob as she thought back to their childhood memories together. The only time Helga could think of was when Olga had decided to be Lila's Big Sis. The three of them went sailing together, and she decided to curl her hair, as opposed to wearing it pulled back. Dressing like that wasn't anymore fun for her than the experience of being on the boat with those two, listening to them sing 'Moonlight Bay.' Of course, she wasn't going to remind her of that experience.

"Yeah, I don't think you've seen it this way either." she replied, while smiling at herself in the mirror. She could always count on her best friend to make her feel special.

After a moment of pining over her good hairstyle, Rhonda grabbed what she considered to be the out of style makeup bag and asked "Alright! Now what should we do about the makeup? Personally, I'd go with a bold color for the lipstick, like ruby red. You've pick suck poorly colored bouquet however, I don't know how to pull that off?"

Helga's smile about her hair turned to a frown, listening to these words. _Crimity! Whose wedding does she think this is? Who cares if the colors don't match? Her royal highness won't be the ones wearing them!_

"A friend of mine in college was married on the beach. Oh, she looked so perfect! I think I know just what to do with your makeup Helga!" Olga exclaimed as the other girls gathered around with excitement.

"I'm looking just ever so forward to it!" Lila anticipated, while Helga sat there knowing Olga knew more about that kind of thing than she did.

Once the guys were threw getting ready, they went down to the beach to see the vendors setting up, along with the rest of their families.

Arnold walked over to the food table to see Mr. Green and everything the families had been nice enough to bring for the special occasion. "Hey Arnold! How are you feeling?" Mr. Green asked, as he finished laying out the burgers. "I'm a little nervous, but still excited." he replied, checking the back of his neck for any possible sweat that maybe forming.

Mr. Green had laid out the burgers and meatloaf, while each family was nice enough to bring an extra dish for the occasion. Gerald's family brought a few pizzas. Phoebe's family brought a plate spring rolls. Rhonda's family made a few plates of cucumber sandwiches. Nadine's family brought a bowl of pasta. Sid's family brought chicken tenders. Stinky's dad brought lemon pudding. Harold's family brought some tomato soup. Sheena's family brought a salad. Eugene's family a plate of of fish. Lila's dad brought a chocolate pie.

As Arnold continued to gaze as the food, he suddenly heard "AHHHH! NOOOO!"

Immediately turning his head, he saw Harold crying on the ground in front of the table which held there chocolate mousse wedding cake. Arnold came racing over, to see Gerald and Sid holding Harold back. "Sorry Harold. No cake 'til after the wedding!" Gerald informed him.

"But, But...it's not even three! That reception thingy lasts hours! Ohhhh…. I'll never make it 'til then!" Harold fell to the ground as Arnold tried to think of a way to make him feel better. "You know Harold, Lila's dad made some chocolate pie. Just because we can't start the cake yet, doesn't mean we can't have some of the other food."

Arnold reached out his hand to help Harold off the ground, as he watched Harold wipe the tears from his eyes. "You...you mean it! Alright!"

Gerald put a hand on his problem solving friend's shoulder. " .mmm! Arnold, why do you have to do that?"

"Do what?" Arnold replied, as he shrugged his shoulders.

"Fix everyone's problems man! This is your wedding! Who cares if he has to wait to eat? It's his fault for not bringing something on the bus." Gerald insisted as Arnold couldn't help but argue. "You know, you're starting to sound a lot like Helga."

His friends eyebrows shot up as he lifted his hands in the air in self defense. "Okay, forget I said anything."

While the guys were already on the beach, the girls were just finishing up Helga's makeup. "All done!" Olga exclaimed as the girls crowded around.

"Oh Helga, you look wonderful!" Phoebe insisted, as the girls nodded their heads in agreement. Olga had chosen a light pink champagne eyeshadow, for a light, yet dramatic look. Followed by a peach blush onto the apples of her cheeks. Finally, a dusty rose lipstick.

Looking at herself in the mirror, Helga thought about the look she would be receiving from Arnold the moment he saw her like this. He always seemed to be his happiest when she showed her sensitive side. She could only hope that hadn't changed since the last time she did so for him.

"I must say Olga, if and when I do get my job as a wedding coordinator, I will make sure to recommend you to all my clients for their styling needs!" Rhonda said, as Helga put down the mirror to face her.

As Helga stood up from her chair, Olga took her hand and said "Now, let's get you into your dress! Oh! We can't forget my shoes."

Helga tried not to roll her eyes at the extra enthusiasm as she replied, "Uhh yeah, my stuff's over by the door."

"You really should be more careful with items such as these. I mean, you're going to be walking down the aisle in them...and in public no less!" Rhonda exclaimed as Olga grabbed the dress and shoes.

 _Yeah, in front of people I've known since I was three. Wouldn't want to offend 'them' with my outfit!_ Helga thought to herself. Suddenly, that thought felt similar to the way she had been acting around everyone with Arnold. While they had been made fun of a few times, in the long run, these were people they had known their whole lives. Why let their opinions of the relationship matter when all of them grew up being teased about something at one point or another? Even when she kept her reputation in tact as a kid, she wasn't always successful at scaring the other's off.

Her frown then suddenly turned to a dazed look as she thought about the happy, stress free life she was about to be spending with the love of her life.

Back on the beach, the guys were helping set up the chairs. "Gosh! I just can't believe I get to...Whoa! I'm okay!" Eugene said, as he tripped over the chairs.

Sid and Stinky went to help him up as Gerald shook his head at Arnold. "Last chance to pull him out of the wedding."

"Everything's going to be fine, Gerald." Arnold insisted as Gerald raised an eyebrow. "Whatever you say Arnold."

"Hey Arnold! What in the heck's this can of spray doin' on the tables?" Stinky asked, looking at Nadine's wedding gift.

"Yeah, you're not actually planning on using this are you?" Sid wondered, as Arnold began to blush. "Uhh no. I guess she just thought it would be a good idea to keep around. In case we decided to 'attract' anything for the pictures."

"Gosh! That girl sure is weird." Stinky said, scratching his head.

"Just keep it away from the food, would ya! If I can't touch the cake, I don't want any bugs near it!" Harold demanded.

"For once I have to agree with Harold." Sid replied as Arnold gathered the cans.

While the boys were getting things ready on the beach, Helga had just gotten into her wedding dress. There she was standing in front of the mirror, with her hair held high, falling gracefully at her sides. Her face colored beautifully to match her inner personality. As she did her best to hold back a wide grin, her older sister did not hesitate to let out a wide stream of tears.

 _One day she'll learn to wear waterproof mascara!_ Helga thought to herself, not feeling the need to turn and look at her sister's facial expression.

"You look oh too perfect Helga! I'm just ever so happy for you!" Lila said, as the other girls smiled at this new side of their friend they rarely ever got a chance to see.

"That really is the perfect dress for you, Helga!" Nadine insisted, looking at the pink flowers along the edges and pink ribbon she wore with it; pink had always been her color.

"There's just one thing missing!" Phoebe added as the other girls turned to look at her.

"What's missing?" Sheena asked, while they all watched Phoebe go through Helga's bag. She then returned with Helga's pink hair clip Arnold had bought for her. As she reached up to put it in her best friend's hair, Helga had to use all her strength to fight back a tear she could feel forming.

 _Crimity Olga! Is your sob sister act contagious or something?!_

"I think you're ready Helga. Now we should probably go change!" Phoebe insisted as Olga was trying to keep it together.

Watching the girls walk away as she put a hand to her hair clip, Helga thought to herself _Pheebs has done so much for me. I should have had something special made for her!_

Once everyone was finished getting dressed, Olga went downstairs to make sure everything on the beach was set.

Back on the beach, the chairs were set up, the food was prepared, the flowers were laid out, the officiant was ready to start when they were, the band was there, and there was a surprise waiting downstairs for Helga.

Olga then returned to the room when she saw everyone was ready to get started. When Helga turned to look at her, she saw her sister standing with the last person she would have expected...Big Bob Pataki. Helga's eyes widened as her voice began to shake. "Da..Dad?"

"Hey Helga." Bob smiled as Helga's face remained the same. She didn't know what was more surprising. The fact that he was there or that he remembered her name.

When she finally found her words, Helga replied "What are you doing here? Don't you have a new fancy appliance store to run?"

Bob began to scratch the back of his head with guilt as he replied "Look I uh, know I never paid you much attention. I could have done a better job remembering your name and spending 'quantity time' with you like your mother said. You do mean a lot to us though Helga, and I'm sorry we didn't show it more often."

Helga began to smile as Olga once again poured out a massive flood of tears. Helga reached out her arm to hug Bob, which neither of them was expecting. Neither of them had ever been the sensitive type. For the first time in her life, Helga felt appreciated, accepted, and wanted by her family. She felt included in their group as something more than just an extra hand to keep around for hard labor.

Wiping the tears from her eyes, Olga said "Okay everyone! It's time!" The girls all headed downstairs, to see the guys waiting for them. As Arnold was waiting nervously at the alter, he could feel the sweat beginning to form on the back of his neck. _Oh no, not again!_ He thought to himself as he looked around to see everyone gathering in their seats. He wasn't excited to see Arnie in the front row with the rest of his family, but was relieved to know he would be leaving after the big event. His moment of relief was turned to total disbelief when he saw someone on the other side of the aisle. There sat Miriam, actually sober, with a smile on her face as she waited for Olga to join her.

Just then, the music began to play, and his hands began to shake. Arnold tried to keep it together as he watched the groomsmen walk up the aisle with the bridesmaids. Phoebe beside Gerald, Rhonda beside Harold, Nadine beside Stinky, Lila beside Sid. To his surprise, Eugene hadn't tripped yet. Perhaps that was because most of the people had found a seat on their own, several minutes before the wedding started. Sheena had decided to stand with him, in case such an incident was to occur.

Suddenly, it was the moment everyone had been waiting for. The stirring music began as everyone turned their heads to see Helga G. Pataki entering the walkway with Big Bob Pataki. At that moment, Arnold's nerves were put at ease when he saw the smile that standing beside her dad brought to Helga's face. Perhaps Arnold had just been nervous he wasn't capable of doing everything it would take to make her happy. Seeing her with her family to support her at the biggest event of her life however, seemed like enough to fill a hole in her heart he wasn't sure he would ever be capable of doing for her. Yes, he was more than willing to. That didn't mean it would be enough to make her happy.

As they walked towards the front of the aisle, Arnold smiled at his blushing bride. Her lovely red lips that called out for his. Her lightly shaded pink eyelids that brought out her sapphire eyes. The peach colored cheeks which made it hard to hide her sensitive side.

Making it to the front of the aisle, Bob took a seat with his family, watching his youngest daughter start a new chapter of her life. Helga stood there in front of Arnold sharing a look with him that read _How much sweat is on you now?_

There eyes remained focused on each other, wondering if they'd even be able to pay attention to the officiant once he started. What they had been through, not just the past eight months, but all their lives to make it to that point was more than enough to send the message to everyone how they felt about each other.

"Do you Arnold take Helga to be your lawfully wedded wife?" the officiant asked. Unlike in Arnold's dream, he gripped her hands tight and willingly said "I Do."

"Do you Helga take Arnold to be your lawfully wedded husband?" she wanted to shout yes before he could even finish the question. It reminded her of every girlhood fantasy she'd had about the two of them. Particularly, when she fantasized about Wittenburg's and Tish's wedding being hers and Arnold's wedding. All she could do was picture herself saying 'I do! I do! Oh I do!' Now here the moment was. Without hesitation, she let out the biggest smile anyone had ever seen from her and said "I DO!" A bit louder than she had planned, but at that moment didn't care.

"You may now kiss the bride!" the officiant finished as Arnold pulled Helga in tightly. Finally, the two of them were together. They had found not just their other half, but their better one. The part that balanced them out. Helped them with their troubles. Made them see the positive sides to their negative traits, and that just maybe able to fix those negative traits with a little positive support.


	47. Chapter 47

Chapter 47: Pick A Side

 _I can't believe it! I'm finally married to Arnold! The boy of my dreams! Oh Arnold my love, light of my existence, leader of my life, angel of mercy to which my tortured soul has always cried out for; at last, you are mine! Ohhh!_

Helga's heart was fluttering as heavily as her knees were weakening. She and Arnold were standing together, making the entrance down the pathway of seashells that had been laid out for them. Arnold couldn't help but glance at them and think _These are similar to the heart shaped shells Summer put at the top of our sandcastle._

His mind was suddenly taken off his childhood memory when he turned to look at his blushing bride. He loved seeing her look so shy and innocent. It wasn't often she was willing to reveal her sensitive side to the world. Noticing him staring at her, she turned to look at him. "Well, we did it bucko! Ready to play by my rules?" she asked, hoping to bring back her bad girl attitude. Gripping her hand tightly, he replied "We'll see about that."

The happy couple made it to the end of the pathway, where their friends and family were waiting to cheer for them. Phil patted his grandson on the back as he laughed "Well, you did it shortman! I told ya she'd end up being the one." he winked at his grandson, as Arnold tried not to blush.

"We're so proud of you honey! I'm so happy we got to see this!" Stella said, as she and Miles hugged their son.

Helga turned away to see Olga running over to hug her. Crushed by her sister's suffocating hug, Helga thought to herself _It's amazing she can even see me with all that smeared mascara across her face!_

"That was wonderful sweetie!" Miriam insisted as Helga looked at her with wide eyes. It was hard to believe there wasn't a smoothie in her hand.

"I didn't think I'd enjoy sittin' through this thing, but if it means having a grandson to run the appliance store some day, I guess it was worth it." Bob said, trying to search for the right words. Even if he had told Helga he cared for her, he still wasn't willing to pour his heart out. Perhaps the two were more alike than they thought.

Arnold had heard what was said, just as he was turning to look at Helga. The two then turned bright red as he rubbed the back of his neck. Helga rolled her eyes, replying "Dad, we just got married. We haven't started school. We're not thinking about kids right now!"

"Fine. Fine." Bob replied at the nervous couple, when they suddenly heard…

"Attention everyone! It's time for the wedding photos!"

Happy to have their mind off that subject, Arnold and Helga went over to the photo area, with their friends and family following behind.

"First, let's get a picture of the happy couple together!" Fred insisted, as Arnold wrapped his arm around Helga's waist while she held her bouquet of pink carnations. The two stood in the center of the seashell pathway with the ocean in the background. The sky was a pale blue, with not a cloud in it. Seagulls were soaring behind them, as they heard the sound of the waves splashing on the golden sand.

"Great! Now let's get one of you kissing her, Arnold!" Fred insisted, as the two became red. They had already kissed in front of everyone. There was just something about kissing 'on the spot' that seemed a bit nerverecking. Arnold turned to face her as the two leaned in slowly. When their lips met, the warmth they both felt in their cheeks moved to their hearts. Their nervousness turned to happiness, as a tingling sensation was sent through both their bodies. The only thing keeping Helga up was Arnold's tight grip around her waist.

When their lips parted, Arnold looked at Helga's ocean eyes that appeared to have tears forming. Her quivering lips, that revealed a sense of vulnerability. This look reminded him of the girl he saw his first day of preschool. The girl who needed him in so many ways, but was never willing to admit it. Even now, she was doing all she could to hold back her tears to remain strong. Taking one look at this expression, he kissed her again without being told to. Holding her face in his hands, he loved knowing she needed him. Something he had always enjoyed was making other people happy. Now here he was, married to the one person only he could make happy.

"I'll always be there for you." he assured her once again. Still holding her face, the two were about to lean in for another when they heard "Okay, let's bring in the family for some photos!"

Letting go of her face, the two looked over as if they had just been snapped out of a fantasy. Arnold's family came up first, as he noticed Arnie and his parents approaching as well. Arnold quickly went over to his dad, "Uhh, is there anyway we can NOT let Arnie's family be in the picture?"

Miles looked at Stella, unsure if that would be the right thing to do. "Well, it is your wedding son. You should at least take a picture with his family yourself." Miles suggest, as Arnold nodded in agreement.

The happy couple stood with his parents to the right and grandparents to the left. Pookey was dressed nicely, and acting appropriately to everyone's surprise.

"Say cheese everyone!" Fred instructed, although no one did. "Whoa! That light's stronger than the prank I used to blind Jimmy Kofka with!" Phil exclaimed as Helga and Arnold turned to look at each other.

"You mean, you got that eye damaging piece of equipment from him? Pttss...makes sense." Helga said, putting two and two together.

Arnold crossed his arms, forgetting about the pictures "Oh, and I suppose that afternoon I spent caring for 'Your Royal Blindness' was necessary?"

Pointing a finger at him, she scowled, "Hey! Who cares if it only lasted twenty DID blind me bucko!"

Miles and Stella looked at each other confusingly until Miles finally asked, "What are they talking about dad?"

Phil tugged at his suspenders, which he wore beneath his suit, proudly. "Hehe...You remember my buddy Jimmy Kofka?"

Miles raised an eyebrow at his father as he replied "Yeah…"

"I pulled a fast one on him April Fool's Day when we were kids. Gave 'em a blinding light box that looks like a birthday gift. Told shortman here to give it to what turned out to be his wife. Talk about blindsighted! Hehe!" Phil exclaimed as the family shook their heads at one another.

"Dad, don't you know how dangerous that is! She could have permanently lost her eyesight!" Miles exclaimed as Phil rolled his eyes. "Oh loosen up son. They were just havin' fun."

"Yeah, we were just havin' fun." Helga added as she gave Arnold an evil smile, thinking back to that day. "Whatever you say Helga." he replied, wrapping his around her for one last picture with his family.

"Great! Now the bride's family can come up!" Fred insisted as the Shortmans cleared out. Arnold then noticed Helga's evil eye expression being replaced with loving anticipation. This would be the first family photo she would enjoy with them. The first one she wasn't crossing her arms and scowling off to the side in.

As they walked up, Olga and Miriam stood beside Helga, and Bob beside Arnold. Before the first picture was taken, Arnold could see the look of excitement in Helga's eyes. She didn't like people knowing when mushy events such as these pleased her, but this, she just couldn't hide.

"Smile everybody!" Fred warned them, as Arnold squeezed Helga's hand tightly. By that point, Olga had gotten the mascara off her cheeks, and even Bob was smiling. After the pictures with her family were finished, the Patakis cleared out to bring in Arnold and Helga's friends. Before they could leave however, Arnold pulled Olga to the side. "What is it Arnold?" she asked as he began to scratch his head. "Uhh listen. I know Helga probably didn't say anything, but the fact that you guys all showed up really meant a lot to her. So thank you, from both of us."

Olga looked at him with a loving smile as she pulled him in for a hug he was not expecting. Arnold had his hands at his sides as he stood there thinking _I'm starting to understand how Helga feels about her._

"We're so happy to be here Arnold! I have one more surprise for the both of you!" she informed him, while leaving with the rest of the family.

Arnold walked back over to see Helga already waiting for him with their group of friends. "What were you getting all cozy about with my sister, bucko?"

He knew it wasn't the time to release any unwanted emotions, so he simply replied "Uhh I was just talking to her about the cake."

Helga raised part of her eyebrow, as they were interrupted by "Arnold! My man! You finally did it! Now you're getting pictures to remind you of the past mind blowing eight months!" Gerald pointed out as Arnold replied "And to remind you of the few activities you spent being my wedding coordinator." Gerald glared at him, just happy none of the other guys paid his comment any attention.

"Okay, let's get the groom with all his groomsmen!" Fred said, as Helga and the other girls stood to the side. Standing out of the way of the camera, Phoebe turned to Helga. "I must say, I think you and Arnold make the perfect couple. Everyone could see you were made for each other when you kissed at the end of the ceremony!"

Helga tried not to blush at her best friend's loving comment, but was unsuccessful. "Thanks Pheebs. I'm sure you and Geraldo will be hittin' it off some day soon!"

"Hey Arnold! The camera's over here!" Sid pointed out, as he caught Arnold smiling at his wife hugging her best friend.

"Huh? Oh right. Sorry guys." Arnold replied, as Gerald shook his head at his friend's wandering mind.

"Man I don't know what that girl does more to you to grab your attention? Bully you or seduce you. Either way, she's manipulating!"

His cheeks turned bright red as he snapped, "Gerald! I just saw her hugging Phoebe! She was not manipulating me in any way." Arnold sighed as the rest of the guys couldn't help but laugh. Being seduced by Helga G. Pataki? No matter how perfect they realized she and Arnold were for each other, the idea still seemed mind blowing.

"Okay guys, smile!" Fred told them, as Gerald placed a hand on Arnold's shoulder. One more picture was about to be taken, until they heard "The camera's over here son?"

"AWWW! But I'm hungry!" Harold whined as Fred gave the group a confused look. "Come on Harold! It's not every day we get to look this fancy!" Stinky insisted as Arnold added "Just one more picture, Harold. Then you can go eat."

"Fine!" Harold scowled, still not having the happiest look on his face.

"Alright guys! You can clear out, and bring in the ladies." Fred told them, as the groups switched. Walking towards the photo area, Helga passed Arnold waiting for her. He leaned over to kiss her on the cheek as he said "Olga's got one more surprise for you." He wasn't any better at keeping secrets than he was at lying to people.

She was able to hold back on her lovesick sigh when she heard her sister's name. "Is it that she discovered waterproof mascara?"

Rolling his eyes at her comment, he replied "Guess we'll just have to wait and see."

Helga then turned to the rest of the girls waiting for her in front of the camera. She took a spot beside her best friend, as the other girls prepared with anticipation. "I cannot wait to see how these turn out! I've always been quite photogenic!" Rhonda insisted as the photographer prepared his camera.

"I'm looking just ever so forward to this. The ceremony was oh so beautiful!" Lila replied as Phoebe added "It certainly was!"

"Alright! Everybody ready! One, two, three…" The girls all smiled as Helga immediately looked over to her sister _I wonder what her next surprise could be?_

"Okay! I think that's everybody!" Fred said as the girls cleared out. Arnold then came running over to Fred with a few more requests.

"Sheesh football head! We'll never have time for the rest of the reception at this rate!" Helga scowled.

"I'm sorry. I promised my dad I'd get a picture with Arnie's family. Plus, I thought it would be nice to have a picture with you, me, Gerald and Phoebe." Arnold said, rubbing the back of his neck.

Helga smiled at the thought of having a picture with their close friends. "Alright football head. Just keep helicopter head away from me!" she scowled as Arnie's family approached the camera.

"That's what your wife calls you?" Fred asked, looking at Arnold curiously. "Uhh it's a long story." he replied as he turned to see his cousin with his parents.

"Snort. Hey, Helga looks nice." Arnie said as Arnold rolled his eyes. "Uhh yeah, she does."

"Snort. I counted the flowers on her dress." Arnie added as Arnold tried not to clench his fists. "Right. Come on, let's take the picture."

"One...Two...Three…" Fred readied them, as Arnie couldn't help but snort on three. When it was over, Arnold anxiously signaled his friends to come back. Arnie wouldn't leave without seeing Helga however. Arnold noticed Helga not approaching as long as Arnie was still there. He then realized he would have to solve the problem.

"Look Arnie, if you like Helga, I can't stop you. I can tell you though that she's never going to like you. So, if you're through looking at her, I'd appreciate it if you'd go eat with your family while she and I take our last pictures together." Arnold said sternly as Arnie replied "Snort. See you at the reception."

Helga began walking towards the photo area as Arnie walked away. "Man, what a dweeb!" she scowled with her hand on her hip. Showing her aggressive side for the first time during the wedding. Arnold took her hand as he said softly "Don't worry, he's gone now."

The two of them then stood beside their best friends. They had been through so much together. Be it good times or bad, Arnold and Helga knew those were the two people they could count on to always be there for them for the rest of their lives.

"Last two pictures. One with the groom and the best man. One with the bride and her maid of honor. Guys, you're first!" Fred exclaimed as he motioned the girls out of the way.

"Well buddy, we'll be puttin' this picture next to our class play as fruits picture!" Gerald joked as Arnold asked "Why do you say that?"

"Just to show how much our change in dress style has changed over the years." Gerald replied as Arnold shook his head.

"Alright boys! One...two...three!" Fred said as the boys smiled. The two did their secret handshake, switching places with the girls.

Phoebe stood beside Helga, her heart filled with joy. "Well Pheebs, you were right. He and I do complete each other. Even if we didn't work out though, you're just as good of a better half to me." Helga said, as Phoebe began to wipe a tear from her eye. It was touching to hear her best friend open up to her.

"Alright girls, smile!" Fred finished, as he began to put the camera away.

"Would you like to get a picture with your sister Helga?" Phoebe asked, knowing how much closer the two were now. Helga stopped to think for a moment until she said "Nah, there will be plenty to take at the reception. Let's give her mascara a rest for now."

After the happy couple was finished with their photos, they headed back to the reception area for the toasts. On the way there, Rhonda stopped Helga "Wait! We forgot to do the bouquet toss."

Helga looked away as she replied "Uhh funny thing about that, I seem to have misplaced it."

Rhonda gave her an absurd look as she said "What do you mean? I saw you with it in your hands two seconds ago?!"

Helga placed her hands on her hips as she scowled "Yeah well, it's gone Princess. Sheesh, let it go!"

Rhonda stomped off as Arnold once again sensed some tension building up. "Maybe you should just toss it."

"No way!" Helga scowled as the two headed for the reception.

Arnold and Helga took a seat at the front table. One side of them was Arnold's family. Phil not being too pleased about sharing a table with Arnie.

The other was Helga's family. Both she and Arnold had a hard time taking their eyes off Olga's eager face. Whatever surprise she had left for them, it must be good.

"So, if everybody could settle down, I'm going to start the toasts for my main man Arnold here and his blushing bride Helga." Gerald announced.

"Arnold's been my best friend since preschool. We've helped each other with all our problems from school to relationships. We spend our extra time together doing anything from sports to simply chillin' at his place. He's our city's number one problem solver. Just about everyone in it owes some part of their success in life to him. If anyone deserves to be happily married, it's him. Hey Arnold! You're a bold kid man!" Gerald raised a glass as the room clapped. Arnold did his secret handshake with Gerald as Phoebe stood up to give a toast to Helga.

"Helga's been my best friend since preschool. She's the strongest, bravest, most loyal person I know. Even in her loneliest times, she didn't let others get the best of her. She faced her problems head on, no matter how insecure she may have felt about them. She didn't let other people push around anyone she cared about anymore than she let them do herself. We've always looked out for each other. Helped one another where the other one needed it. She's as sweet as she is tough. Thanks for always being there for me Helga! Phoebe raised her glass as the room clapped and a tear fell from Helga's face. Normally, she'd try to hide it from such a large group of people. Her best friend had just pointed out what a kind, sensitive heart she had however. There was no sense in hiding it.

Sid then stood up to read the speech their friends had all been working on. "To Arnold and Helga. Arnold, you helped us all through our hard times. When I became a huge germaphobic, you helped me get over my fears. When Stinky thought he had no natural abilities, you helped him win the farming fair. When Harold ran away from his Bar Mitzvah, you encouraged him to come back. When Eugene's party was wrecked, you threw him a new one. You helped Rhonda and Nadine become friends again. Lila when she fell out of the boat at the cheese festival. You've been there for all of us, Arnold!

Helga, I don't think we realized it until recently, but you always kind of, well, kept us in line. You were the captain of our baseball team, the smartest kid in the class...aside from Phoebe, saved the neighborhood, won us the trip to San Lorenzo, got us the money to build the class float. Sure you were kind of bossy, but you never let anything bad happen to us. You two really go well together. We just want to say thanks!" Sid finished as everyone cheered.

Arnold held Helga's hand as he watched the tears flow from her face. Never had she expected to be 'appreciated' by the group of kids she tormented their entire lives.

Arnold's father then stood to give a toast. "Son, the whole reason your mother and I are able to witness this special of of yours is because you and this wonderful young lady here were brave enough to rescue us. From the moment we saw you two kiss in San Lorenzo, we knew there was something special between the two of you. We wish you all the best!" Miles finished as everyone raised their glasses.

Sitting at a table further back, Stinky began to scratch his head "Kissed in San Lorenzo? What in the heck's he talkin' about?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Sid replied "Guess that trip was crazier than we thought!"

Phil then stood to give a toast, hoping Pookey would stay put. "Shortman, I've watched you grow from a baby in diapers to a teen wearing boxers. You were the most mature grade schooler I've ever seen. With maybe one or two exceptions. For instance that walk in public with the bunny pajamas! Oh man that was a riot! Haha! Anywho, your grandma and I couldn't be prouder. You kids take care of each other. If she's as much like your grandma as we think, you'll really have to watch her!" Phil winked as Arnold and Helga were blushing terribly by the end of his speech.

There was just one toast remaining...Bob Pataki.

Helga's eyes grew as she watched her father stand to give a speech. She knew he liked attention, but not unless it pertained to profit. _Oh boy, he's probably just using this as an opportunity to win some new customers...crimity!_

"Hey everybody, we're happy we could be here to celebrate the marriage of our daughter to this kid...uh Arnold." Bob began as he turned to look at Helga. "Look Helga, Olga made your mom and I realize how unfair things were for you. It doesn't matter how different you two are. You're our daughter and we're thankful for you. Which is why we're going to pay for a new apartment for you and Arnold to start your new life together."

Helga's jaw dropped as Arnold began to rub her hand. _Is he joking? What type of manipulative spell did Olga put him under? Crimity, whatever it is, why'd she wait this long to do it?_

Bob sat down as everyone cheered for him. Arnold couldn't have asked for anything more. They were going to school, they had jobs set up, were married and now a new home was being given to them. All this had happened in less than a year!

There was another round of applause as Gerald stood up "Now everyone, the bride and groom will cut the cake!"

"Alright! Cake time! Finally!" Harold exclaimed as the rest of the group rolled their eyes.

Arnold helped Helga out of her seat as the two walked over to the cake. "Should I smear it all over your face? Ya know, like you did with your pudding the day you pretended to have amnesia." he asked as Helga rolled her eyes.

"Hey! If you had just been watching where you were hitting the ball that day, I wouldn't have had to lay the guilt trip on you!" she defended herself as he smiled with half lidded eyes. "Whatever you say Helga."

Harold remained feeling tortured in his seat as he watched Arnold and Helga, not only cut the cake, but feed it to each other.

"Ohhh I'm so hungry!" he exclaimed, although they paid no attention to him. As they placed it in each other's mouths, they pictured each other having Arnold lick Helga's lips clean of any remaining chocolate that may be on them. Fortunately, this time she did a nice job of keeping the food inside her mouth, as opposed to around it.

After the two had finished sharing as close of an intimate moment as they would be able to get with the cake, some was cut for the rest of the wedding guests. Everyone got their dessert along with their dinner plates of burgers, pasta, salad and pizza. Once they were situated, Dino and Don entered.

"How you all doin'?" Dino asked as everyone clapped. "I got a special request from a special kid named Arnold to play this tune for his and his girl's first dance. Hit it Don!"

As the music played, Helga began to recognize the tune. "Isn't this what was playing the night we did our tango in fourth grade? You know, when you threw my innocent, blind body into that icy cold water." Helga tried to guilt trip him as he rolled his eyes. Standing up, Arnold held out his hand for hers "Would you like to tango with me...without any pranks this time?"

Helga's heart fluttered as she began to stand up. She took her beloved's hand, looking into his emerald green eyes. Arnold took her right in his, placing the other on his shoulder. As he placed his other hand on her waist, her heart melted when she felt him pull her in closer. The two danced around the floor, not quite as aggressively as their childhood dance. Helga's lovesick look was interrupted when she heard him say, "I guess they were right."

Helga shook her head in confusion as they continued dancing. "Who was right...about what?" Arnold continued to smile at her as he replied "All of our friends, when Sid said I solved everyone's problems and you kept us in line. He finished by saying we go well together. We're more alike than we think. We definitely each possess qualities the other doesn't, but we're both two very helpful people. Ones who are always there for our friends."

Helga would have been happy to end it all right then and there. All she wanted at that moment was to be with Arnold. He bent down to kiss her as he dipped her while the song was ending. Feeling his tongue once again put her on cloud nine, but for a whole new reason. She now knew she was more than just his tough side, his bodyguard, the leader in the relationship. Her heart was as pure as his. Just as he had pointed out that day in San Lorenzo. Only now it had been pointed out by everyone.

As Arnold lifted her back up, looking into her eyes, he whispered in her ear "Should we finish this at the beach house?"

Helga did all she could to hold in her swoon. _Oh my darling! You're such a mind reader! Behind that sweet, sensitive soul of yours lies a bold, eager trait that cries out for attention! Perhaps we are the same person; but in a completely reversed way!_

"Uhh sure." she nodded, hoping not to look suspicious in front of anyone. The two of them walked over to Arnold's family's table. "Hey shortman! One heck of a shindig you got goin' here! Phil pointed out as Miles and Stella smiled "We're so proud of you two! You did a wonderful job setting this up!"

Arnold hugged his parents and grandparents goodbye, as he replied "Thanks for paying for everything. It meant a lot to us. We're going to head out kind of early. If that's okay." Arnold said, scratching the back of his head.

"We understand sweetie. We'll see you on the bus!" Stella smiled as the two of them walked over to Gerald and Phoebe's table. "Hey Arnold! You put quite the moves on Pataki out there." Gerald winked as Helga was tempted to clench her fists.

"Uh yeah, thanks. We're going to go back to the beach house. We'll be back in time for the bus tomorrow morning though." Arnold assured him as Gerald held out his fist for their secret handshake.

"Alright buddy, have a fun night!" he insisted, as Arnold turned to see Helga had walked away with Phoebe.

Standing outside of the reception area that had been set up on the beach, Helga tried finding the right words. "Listen Pheebs, you know I've never been great at this hallmark stuff. I'm not one to spill my guts out to people. Hopefully, you know how much you mean to me though. You're the one person who's always been there for me. Especially, when I felt like giving up on my life… which was practically every freakin' day. I mean crimety! You saw what my folks were like. I still don't know what changed Bob all of a sudden. Olga must have bought him a new belt and made mom a 'special' smoothie. Anyway, thanks for everything. You're the best! That's why, instead of tossing it, I saved this for you!"

Helga held out her bouquet of carnations to give to her best friend. Tears began to flow from Phoebe's eyes as Helga reached out to hug her. She knew how much she meant to Helga. Still, it meant a lot hearing it from her.

Arnold found them just before they ended their sweet hug. He made sure to keep a safe distance, to prevent interrupting them. It meant just as much to him as it did Helga that she had someone who cared so much about her.

"Well, take care Pheebs. I'll see you on the bus tomorrow." Helga said, patting her best friend's shoulder. Phoebe wiped the tears from her eyes as she replied "Thanks Helga. Have a good time with Arnold."

Arnold walked towards Helga as he saw Phoebe leaving her. "Are you okay?" he asked, holding her hand.

"Huh? Oh yeah, I just never know what to say to people at times like these." She said, rubbing the back of her neck; hoping that would be a good enough excuse for him.

"I think I know what you mean. Ready for one last stop?" he asked, as she gulped. "Yeah, yeah, let's get this over with."

Arnold lead her back over to the reception area and to her family's table. Although Helga had already seen them, she was still nervous about addressing them once again.

"Hey Mr. and Mrs. Pataki! Hey Olga!" Arnold addressed them as they all turned to wave at him and their daughter.

"Hello baby sister! Oh we're so proud of you!" Olga exclaimed, as her parents were too nervous to speak.

"Thanks." Helga replied, tempted to roll her eyes with her hands on her waist.

"We just wanted to thank you all. Not only for coming, but for the money you're giving us. Helga and I already know what we'll be doing when we start college, so this will help out a lot!" Arnold insisted as Miriam couldn't help but ask "What exactly will you be doing?"

Arnold turned to smile at his blushing bride. "Well, I'm going to start working with Dr. Bliss."

"You mean that therapist YOU had to see when you were a kid Helga?" Bob asked, raising part of his eyebrow.

Although she was tempted to scowl at him, she was just grateful he was starting to remember her name. "Yeah, that would be her." she sighed.

"So, what will you be doing baby sister?" Olga asked excitedly as Arnold answered for Helga.

"The singer we got for the wedding, Dino Spumoni, is actually a close friend of mine who knows the mayor. He's agreed to get Helga an internship with her while we're in college. Hopefully, by the time school's over, she'll have some type of government career started."Arnold said excitedly, gripping her hand tightly.

"Oh that's so impressive baby sister!" Olga said, as Bob too was proud of her for the first time in her life. "Wow! That's really something kid!" he exclaimed as Helga began to smile. "Thanks dad. Well, we're going to go now." Helga insisted, before any more sensitive moments happened between them.

"Hold on! Olga, could you come with us?" Arnold asked, as she anxiously jumped up from her seat. "Oh goody, I'm on my way!"

Helga raised part of her eyebrow, not sure what Arnold was doing. He lead the two girls over to where Helga had been standing with Phoebe.

"It's so pretty out here!" Olga exclaimed as Helga finally rolled her eyes at her sister's enthusiasm.

Arnold however, kept smiling as he replied "Olga, we never got a picture of just you and Helga earlier. I'd like to take one. After all, so much of this wouldn't have happened without you!"

At first, Helga glared at Arnold when she heard the first part of his sentence. Then she realized he was right. Getting her makeup done, having her parents there, getting the money for their new apartment...it was all because of her sister.

"Oh! That sounds so wonderful!" Olga replied as she ran over to Helga. Helga braced herself for a tight squeeze. Instead, Olga gently wrapped her arm around Helga's shoulder. When feeling this, Helga wrapped her arm around Olga's waist and smiled. Arnold took a picture of the two of them standing in front of the ocean. By that point the moon was out, and plenty of stars were shining in the sky.

"Perfect!" he exclaimed, as Olga then turned to give her little sister a suffocating hug Helga was not prepared for. "I'll see you tomorrow morning baby sister!"

Olga then went back to the reception as Arnold walked over to his new wife. "You're glaring at her, but I know your feelings for her aren't as harsh as you imply they are."

Helga looked away, crossing her arms as she scowled "Oh! What do you know football head?"

Putting his arm around her, he whispered "I know I'm ready to go back to the beach house." Helga's face then melted as she and Arnold walked back to the hotel room to grab their things.

"We should have hired someone to do this for us; or kept Olga around to help." Helga said, as the two grabbed their bags.

"Screw it! I'm just changing here, then texting Olga to grab my dress on her way out the door. It's only one night we'll be staying out there." Helga said to Arnold as he replied "Yeah, I might do the same thing with Gerald. Doesn't seem right wearing a tux to the beach house."

After the two changed in the hotel room, they grabbed their overnight bags, and headed for a familiar location. Even wearing a tank top and shorts, Arnold watched Helga struggle with her suitcase. "You're no better with that bag than you were on your last trip here are you?" he laughed as she dropped it to scowl with her hands on her hips. "Hey! I'm the bride, I shouldn't even be carrying anything!"

"Good point!" he replied, as he took it from her. Making it to their beach house, he set the bags down. "Uhh what are you doing? The door's up there!" she pointed out. Rather than replying to her witty remark, he picked her up and carried her to the top of the stairs. It was only three or four steps, but each one made her heart flutter.

After setting her down, he went back to the bottom to grab their things, while she waited for her love to return with them. She couldn't wait for the both of them to get to the top story or their childhood vacation spot for some adult fun.

Walking inside of the half that was Helga's when the two of them were there, Arnold said happily, "Well, we're here! It looks just like the other half." he said as she rolled her eyes. "Well doi! They're connected, not two separate houses! Sheesh!"

"Whatever you say, Helga." Arnold smiled, as the two of them took their suitcases upstairs.

When the two of them entered the bedroom, Arnold set his things down by the wall near the door. He turned to see Helga had already set her things down by the window and was standing there looking outside of it. Walking over to her, he wrapped his arms around her. Kissing her cheek, he asked "What are you thinking about?"

"I remember when I first came to this room. After I yelled at you to stay away from me, I came up here and fell onto the bed. I was so angry at myself for continuing to push you away. All I was doing in the car here was watching Babe Watch and fantasizing about being with you on it. Then I came up here, looked out the window and saw you with that stupid Autumn girl! I wasn't going to let my insecurities ruin the dream vacation I had always hoped for. Guess I blew that right from the start." she sighed as he turned her around.

"No you didn't! You saved me from being humiliated in front of everybody. I'm sorry I didn't listen to you when you tried to warn me about her." he replied, holding her face in his hands, brushing back the strands of hair that were falling across her face.

"It would have been easier for you if I hadn't been such a jerk from the start." she pointed out, trying to look away.

Gently pressing her lips against his, he stayed close to her face as he looked into her eyes and replied. "It doesn't matter what happened. You ended up doing the right thing, and we're together now."

She put her hands behind his head, pulling him in for a kiss. He leaned her back on the soft mattress, she remembered sulking on after considering her disgruntled behavior towards him when they were last there. Without hesitating, their tongues met in the middle. Neither of them was afraid to hesitate by that point. Letting out a comforting sigh through his nose, Helga could sense Arnold was as pleased as she was. She opened her mouth wider, allowing their tongues to caress one another. They went from sighing to moaning with pleasure as their mouths collided perfectly against one another's.

Normally, this would be the point in their relationship when one would try not to appear vulnerable to the other. The time that mattered the most who took charge of things. This time however, it wasn't about competing for power, but rather enjoying the fact that they had each other. Helga began to feel Arnold slide his tongue all across the roof of her mouth. Enjoying each part, as opposed to getting into a fierce tongue tied battle. Feeling him slowly caress each part of her made every part of her skin crawl. As she felt him repeat the circled pattern slowly around her mouth, she began to moan, doing all she could to fight one of her internal monologues. By the way he felt her lips moving, Arnold swore he could sense one coming on. He didn't want to ruin the moment by throwing out accusations however. Eventually, he separated their lips at the feel of her tongue pulling back, rather than simply moving, and her body trembling.

Seeing her eyes open as he slowly pulled his lips away, he took one look and whispered "Where's my aggressive Helga G. Pataki?" Her voice began to shake as her body began to tremble. She laid there as he took her hair down, watching it flow across her face. Pinning her arms back, he leaned closer, waiting for a response. "She's Gone." Looking at her with his emerald, half-lidded eyes, he replied "I guess Helga G. Shortman will get the job done."

Holding back a lovesick sigh, she laid there as he pressed his lips against her softly. Lacing their fingers together, he began to lick her lips, as she let out a moan, allowing him back in. He moved his tongue up and down, all around the side of hers, waiting for a response as she laid there embracing it. Unlacing their fingers, he sat her up to remove her tank top, as he whispered "It's too bad. I like having a rough side. Where's Yin without Yang? Peanut Butter without Jelly?" he asked.

Her eyes widened, thinking back to the happiness he felt nearly the past year having her show her vulnerable side. "You really feel that way?" she asked, amazed by his desire for her dominant behavior.

Unstrapping her bra, he leaned her back, running his fingers through her hair. "Of course I do." he replied, pressing their lips softly together. Taking her breasts in his hands, she wrapped her arms around his neck. Placing her hand behind his head, she pulled him in for a firm, passionate kiss. His eyes widened as he was a bit surprised by her sudden movement. Only a moment later, he found himself wrapped up in one of her aggressive, lip smacking kisses. Similar to those he had experienced in grade school. He felt force from her tongue, demanding she be let inside. To let her show him how it's done. _He wants aggressive, I'll give him aggressive!_

She wrapped her tongue around his, pulling him in with hers. He felt as though she could have pulled it out of his mouth if she continued. Yet, he didn't care. The thrill of her passion overthrew the pain, as he let out an intense moan. Tring to return her force, he pushed his lips harder against her. There wasn't much more he could do however. She literally had him tongue tied.

Squeezing her breasts tight, Helga's eyes fluttered open as the grip on his tongue loosened. She saw him already looking at her with his hypnotizing green eyes that called out to her. With his tongue being loose enough to escape her lips, he slowly pulled back. Keeping their noses together, he wittingly said "There's my fiesty girl."

Smirking at him, she replied "You just can't decide which side of me pleases you more, can you football head?" Arnold threw off his blue t-shirt. Pressing their smooth skinned chests together, he whispered "I love them both. I wish you did too." She swooned at his sweet words, feeling him wrap his arms around her waist. Her aggressive attitude fell short as she gazed into his half lidded eyes.

Still not receiving a response from her, he ran his finger up and down her lips. "Which side of me do you find more attractive?" he asked curiously. Her eyes widened as her sensitive side was being called back to order. _Why is he doing this to me? He's read my stupid poems. He knows my freakin' answer! Sheesh!_ "I...I…" she stuttered, looking for her words. "I don't think you have an aggressive side. I've never seen you hurt anyone." she replied, relieved and quite content with her answer.

Knowing where she was coming from, he couldn't help but play with her. "I think you know I do." he whispered in her ear, as she felt her heart begin to pound. He removed her pink shorts, as she laid there still. Coming back to look at her, he laid his lips on her softly, massaging her breasts. Although they had both seen his rough side, he wasn't looking to show it. At least, not until she was willing to come out. "This is what you call rough?" she asked, pulling her lips back. Resting his lips on hers, he replied "You said you wanted to be the leader; in charge of our relationship. Prove it!"

A wide grin formed on her face, as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Using all her force, she flipped him over to lay on top of him. Her tongue once again forcing its way inside of him. "Okay. Maybe you could ha.." he began, but her tongue was touching the back of his throat by that point. His eyes wide; forgetting exactly what challenging her meant. Caressing his shoulders, she began to rub their parts together, letting out simultaneous sighs through their noses. She knew that wasn't her most aggressive side. Pinning his arms back, she tilted their heads, noses pushed together tightly.

Before, his sweet gentle touch had her trembling. Now, it was her firm dominant behavior that had him shaking, yet thirsty for more. Never would he have guessed to have longed for such behavior, and from Helga G. Pataki. The girl who mocked, ridiculed, and humiliated him all through their childhood. Then again, what other girl could have shown him this type of aggressive behavior? Time has a way of changing things.

Not knowing it was possible, they pressed their heads closer as she pushed her tongue further inside of him. How could someone so sensitive long for something so aggressive? Perhaps it was something he just needed. Something to complete him; balance him out. Only someone so dominant could pass out feelings this passionate. Her poems, shrines and tapes had proven his tiny bit of dominant behavior didn't make her uncomfortable. What she loved most about him was his sensitivity. There would always be that side of him, wanting to make sure she was happy, however. He wanted her to show her vulnerable side; just not be forced to. He just wanted her to feel comfortable doing what she knew would make her happy. Not refrain from doing what she wanted, all because of what other people thought of her. Be aggressive, be vulnerable, just don't do it for the wrong reason.

The strength of his feelings of empathy and sensitivity were matching to the strength of her passion and dominance. As he continued trying to return her aggressive feelings, he thought about her first kiss to him on FTi. He in no way returned her passionate kiss to him up there, that night. Yet, that didn't change the way she felt about him. She continued looking at him with those lovesick eyes, demanding he stay close to her. Whether he had feelings that existed for her that night or not, it didn't matter how weak they were. Her mind was wrapped up inside of him.

Just knowing his feeling for her had become so true and strong over the years had made her behavior hard to focus. The idea that her love was returned equally made her start to lose herself in this chain of spontaneous lip wrestling events. Melting into just the thought of finally being loved this much by her beloved made her heart sink. Her laced fingers began to part. Barely remaining to touch the tips of his, as he could feel her grip loosening. Seeing her struggle, he removed his lips, coming close to whisper in her ear "You won. Let me go now so I can hold you."

Immediately, she collapsed on his soft chest, releasing their fingers. He wrapped his arms around her as they could feel each other breathing deeply. Stroking her hair, he kissed the top of her head. At the verge of passing out, he whispered to her "We forgot to bring our ice cream cake with us." A smile formed on Helga's face as she continued to breathe deeply. "That's okay. I've got my ice cream right here."


	48. Chapter 48

Chapter 48: What Do We Want?

"Whilikers! That was one heck of a party last night!" Stinky exclaimed, as the group waited by the bus for Arnold and Helga to return.

"I know! Great hotel suggestion Rhonda!" Sid replied, as the group turned to look at her.

"Well, I'm sure the next one of you to get married won't hesitate to book me as your planner." Rhonda said proudly, putting a hand on her waist.

"Speakin' of weddin's, where are Arnold and Helga?" Stinky asked.

 _Back at the Beach house_

Hearing the alarm on his phone go off, Arnold bent down on the floor to turn it off. Helga still laying on top of him, barely nudged at the feel of her warm husband move. As he kissed the top of her head, he said softly "It's time to get up sweetie. We can't miss the bus."

Squeezing him tighter, she rubbed her legs against him, pulling the covers further over them. At that point, she didn't care if they stayed in that position forever. She couldn't be happier with the way things were.

He knew she wasn't going to get off him willingly. He began to sit up, sadly having to push her off of him. She began to rub her eyes, not looking too happy with him. "Gee, thanks for killing the mood AND my sleep pattern Arnoldo!"

"You can sleep on the bus. We can't miss it." he replied, smiling at her witty remark. The two of them began to pack their bags, as Helga took one last look out the window. This time her memory of this place would be the perfect wedding she had with Arnold, the day her family showed they actually cared about her, and the night she and her husband celebrated the feelings they had built for each other over the years.

"Ready to go?" he asked, as they grabbed their things. "I've BEEN ready, football head." she scowled, turning away from the window.

The two began to walk down the stairs and out the front door. "It's funny not seeing a drunk Miriam sitting on the porch." Helga sighed.

Arnold turned to her confused. "I thought you said she stayed sober during this trip?" Helga began to snort, not bothering to look at him as she replied "Her first five minutes out here, she had a smoothie in her hands. It wouldn't have taken her long if she hadn't found someone to entertain her."

Arnold put a free hand to her back as he said, "It's even better that she stayed sober last night. If there was one moment in your life for her to give her full attention to, that was the right one."

Helga turned to smile as the two walked along the peaceful shore. The wind blowing, the water rushing, the seagulls flying. "Did you watch that episode of Babe Watch we were on together?" Arnold asked, trying to break the silence. Helga raised part of her brow at him, implying what a dumb question that was. "Doi! Only about a thousand times! Sheesh!"

"My grandpa made fun of me for awhile." he laughed as she gave him a confused look. "Why is that?" Knowing she wouldn't like the answer, he replied "Because he could tell you were actually kissing me; not trying to give me mouth to mouth resuscitation." Her eyes widened as she began to blush. "Crimity! Will he EVER give us a break?!" she exclaimed as Arnold laughed. "No. You better get used to it." he warned her as she shook her head. "Sheesh!"

The two then came within sight of the bus as they saw their friends waiting for them.

"Hey guys! Sorry we're a little late." Arnold apologized, as Helga went to say goodbye to her family.

"Hey Arnold! How was your night? You two have 'fun' together?" Sid asked as Arnold rolled his eyes. "Come on Sid."

Rhonda interrupted as she answered "Yeah, I mean what else would they have been doing? All alone...in a beach house."

Arnold blushed terribly as he went to go find Gerald.

Meanwhile, Helga had just found her family loading their things into the car. "Oh baby sister! We had so much fun! I've got your dress in the back seat!"

Helga rubbed her arm as she looked down at the ground, not really knowing what to say. "Yeah thanks. Umm…"

Her parents stared, knowing she had something to say as Olga broke the tension. "What is it baby sister?"

Helga scratched the back of her head, still not making eye contact. "Listen, I don't know if you guys actually wanted to come, or if it was just something Olga made you do. Either way, it meant a lot to us. And..and..it was really... *Gulp* ...nice of you to pay for an apartment. It took care of a lot of problems. So...thanks...mom and dad."

Her parents smiled at one another before Miriam hugged her. Bob patted her on the back as he replied "Glad we could make it. See ya Helga."

As the family was turning to get in the car, Olga screamed "Wait daddy! I want a family picture to keep on my phone!"

 _Crimity! I knew I should have just emailed them._

As they looked around for someone to take the picture, they saw Arnold walking over. "Hey Helga. You ready to go?"

"Oh Arnold! Could you take a family picture for me to keep on my phone!" Olga asked as Arnold smiled, holding out his hand for the camera. "Sure! Everyone get together!"

The four of them stood close, and actually looked happy to be a family for once. Arnold could see the loving look in all of their eyes. It once again filled his heart with joy to see them at last accept Helga.

"There we go!" he said, handing the phone back to Olga. "Oh goody! Well, we'll see you later baby sister! Have a safe trip!" she exclaimed as Helga gave a weak smile. "See ya."

Looking over at her husband's loving eyes, she found the courage to ask "One more thing."

"What is it, sweetie?" Miriam turned to look at Helga.

"Well, we umm, we're kind of going to San Lorenzo for our honeymoon. The day after we get back to Hillwood." she began as Bob gave a questioning look. "San Lorenzo huh? There's a place I don't miss. Those people didn't buy a single one of my beepers!"

Rolling her eyes at the return of his business like attitude, Helga continued. "Anyway, we were wondering if we could borrow the plane for the trip? That is, if you still have it. I know that piece of junk was….OW!" She felt Arnold elbow her as he could see her returning to her negative attitude towards them.

"Yeah, I guess I could get someone to fly you out there." Bob replied as Arnold's eyes lit up. "That's great! We're only staying for a day or two. Just long enough to get to the Green eyed village." Arnold began

"Yeesh! Well, alright then. I'll talk to the guy who flew us out there when you kids were in trouble. See if he can meet you there tomorrow morning." Bob offered as Arnold raised his voice in excitement "Thanks Mr. Pataki!"

"Uh huh. Let's get going Miriam. I don't know what all that Gino kid's doing to my store." Bob insisted.

Watching them drive away, Arnold noticed a new look in Helga's eyes. Holding her hand, he asked "Are you okay?" She turned to him as she replied "Yeah, I've just got this weird feeling in my stomach. It's almost like I care that they're leaving?"

"I think you miss them already." he said, squeezing her hand tightly.

"What? Are you kidding?!" she exclaimed as he looked at her with half lidded eyes.

"You're closer to them now. It's only natural to miss them." he explained, kissing her on the cheek. The two then walked back to the bus as they saw everyone boarding it.

The kids all took the same seats they chose on the ride up to the beach. The newly wed couple met their two best friends in the back, waiting to hear about their night at the hotel. "Hey Gerald! How was the hotel?"

"It was great man! You should have heard Stinky and Sid compete for best Karaoke singer!" Gerald exclaimed as Helga raised part of her brow. "I guess Princess was right. You should have picked underaged drinking."

"So who won?" Arnold asked, as Gerald replied "Well, Stinky's bad grammar kind of gave Sid an advantage."

"Pttss...no surprises there!" Helga exclaimed as Rhonda nodded. "It didn't exactly help Eugene's chance of winning when he fell off the stage either."

"It was just oh so much fun listening to them sing while we ate and talked with each other though." Lila admitted, turning around in her seat.

"I'm sure you mean pigged out and made fun of them." Helga corrected her, leaning back against the back of the bus seat.

Eventually, listening to their talk of bad singing and overeating put Helga to sleep. She collapsed on Arnold's shoulder, as the kids all stared at her.

"Man, what did you two do last night?" Gerald insisted on knowing, as Arnold rolled his eyes. "Gerald she's just a little tired. It was a big day for us yesterday!"

"Whatever you say Arnold." Gerald replied as their friends all gave each other knowing looks. Arnold began to rub Helga's face softly, as Phoebe smiled at the sight. She wanted to thank her again for the bouquet, but knew how upset the other girls would be if they found it she hadn't really lost it.

Finally making it back to Hillwood and The Knot, the bus pulled up at their stopping point. Arnold began to nudge Helga, hoping she would be easier to get up this time. Thankfully, there wasn't much of a problem. Rubbing her eyes as she sat up, she immediately remembered where they had been. "Are we back already?" she asked, hearing a small laugh come from Arnold. "It only seems quick because you've been asleep almost the entire ride."

"Yeah, yeah, just hand me my bag, hairboy!" she exclaimed, walking in front of him. Gerald shook his head, noticing the lovesick look hadn't left his friends eyes. "You really do like 'em rough, don't you?" Gerald asked. Ignoring his friend's comment, he followed his wife out of the bus, and into the parking lot. As they stood outside, he said to her "Guess we get to go home now and count down the hours for the trip tomorrow."

"Guess so, football head." she replied, stretching her arms. "I'm really excited about this Helga. It was really nice of your dad to do all that stuff for us." Arnold said, taking her hand in his.

"Yeah, I gotta say, I didn't see that one coming. Olga works wonders on people." she said wittingly.

"Come on Helga, you know he had to have had some feelings for you all along. It wasn't just your sister convincing him to like you." Arnold insisted as she placed her free hand on her hip.

"Just because you want to become a therapist doesn't mean I need you to be mine. Sheesh!" she exclaimed as she headed for the car."

"Whatever you say Helga." he insisted, carrying both their bags, following behind her.

Making it there, Arnold's family was waiting to once again congratulate them with open arms. "There's the happy couple! I can't believe our son is married!" Stella exclaimed as she hugged them both.

"Way to go shortman! I'm proud of you!" Phil exclaimed, as he rubbed his grandson on the head.

They all crammed into the car with their luggage, only one thing on all their minds; San Lorenzo, but for different reasons. Arnold and Helga were anxious to revisit the place that was the start of their mutual loving feelings towards one another. The place where Arnold finally realized how he felt about Helga and where Helga discovered there had been a reason to hold onto her hope of there being a chance he would love her after all those years.

Miles and Stella were happy to see their son spending his honeymoon with the Green eyes. People who had always been like family to them, would always be one of their greatest memories shared with their son.

Phil and Pookey were nervous something terrible might happen...yet again. They could be captured, become ill, or never return. After all, they were leaving at an even younger age than Miles and Stella were when they went on their last mission to San Lorenzo.

After a long silent drive back to the boarding house, they reached their destination. Arnold and Helga anxiously grabbed their things as they headed up the stairs to his bedroom. It was a wonder they weren't trampled by the herd of animals, seeing as how they weren't thinking about them as they opened the door. "Whoa! What's your hurry guys? Don't you want us to fix you some lunch?" Miles asked, as Arnold barely turned his head to respond. "Uhh we'll be down to eat in awhile. We have to pack for the trip tomorrow...although they had done it already."

Miles simply shrugged his shoulders as he and the rest of the adults went into the kitchen.

"Crimity! We're not adding anything else. We're packing light for this trip if there's any hiking involved! I was almost grateful we lost our luggage on our last trip!" Helga exclaimed, after dragging their things to the bedroom.

"I just said that, so we'd have an excuse not to sit with them. I'll never forget how cute you looked in your tight fitted tank top, with your shirt wrapped around your waist. Had I not been so scared about what was going to happen to us during the trip, I might have taken more time to enjoy it." he said, walking up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. She gulped at the idea of what could have happened.

 _Is he serious? Would he have really felt that way if his stupid parents weren't taking up his entire mind's attention? Oh my beloved! This time will be so different for us!_

As she began to turn around to face him, she heard her phone beep. He let go of her, not happy the moment was ruined.

"It's Bob. He says the guy will be ready to fly us out there tomorrow at 5 am. So, are we going to take a boat or hike or what to get to those Green Eyes? I don't think this guy can land the plane next to their village." she smirked.

"I don't think the river travels all the way up to their village. We'll have to hike some of the way. That is, if this pilot if willing to land the plane in San Lorenzo and stay for the night. We can be back to him the next evening." Arnold suggested, scratching the back of his hand, as Helga sent the request to Bob.

"Okay, we're in." she replied unenthusiastically, while Arnold was unable to hold back his emotions. "That's great!"

Running up to her, he pulled her in for an aggressive kiss, as she kept her hands to her sides, thinking to herself _I must really be rubbing off on him._

Before having a chance to push her onto the bed, Arnold heard his phone beep. Sighing at the idea of once again being interrupted, he went over to answer it. "Gerald wants to know if we'd like to come over and celebrate at his place, since we're leaving tomorrow."

Shrugging her shoulders, she replied "I guess so. I didn't really get to talk to Pheebs on the bus anyways."

"Yeah, you passed out pretty quick." he laughed as she pointed a finger in his face. "Hey! If you hadn't made me show my aggressiveness to you last night, that wouldn't have happened."

Raising an eyebrow at her, he replied "So what you're saying is, you're willing to accept the challenge of being in charge, there's just no guarantee you can handle it." He laughed as she began to clench her fists. Seeing him open the door, she threw him against it, slamming it shut. "I'll show YOU who can't handle something!"

Dragging him over to the bed, she threw him on top of it. Curious to see where this would go, he didn't put up a fight. Besides, he knew how bad things could get if he didn't let her have her way.

As she turned to head for the desk, she watched him start to sit up. "Don't move a muscle!" she scowled as he rolled his eyes, leaning back on the bed "Whatever you say Helga."

 _If she thinks I'm afraid of sex, she's crazy. After all, I was the one asking her to be aggressive last night?_ He thought to himself, as he then saw her hovering over him with the box of condoms.

"You really think I'm afraid of seeing you put your 'aggressive' behavior to use on me?" he laughed as she then pulled the ribbon from her hair. "Maybe not, but we haven't used this in awhile. Like you said, I was 'pretty tired' earlier. Give me a chance to make up for it, football head!"

Arnold's eyes widened as she yanked him up to pull off his shirt. She didn't waste any time tying his hands behind his back. Laying on top of him, both their legs hanging off the bed, she traced a finger up and down from his stomach to his lips. Looking into his almost fearful eyes, she said "Just let me take care of things. After all, you said you missed my rough side."

Laying his head back, he began to breathe heavily as he felt her pulling his pants off. She wrapped her arms around his neck as she leaned over the bed to kiss him. Shoving her tongue down his throat, she pulled him in closer, placing a hand behind his head. He laid there thinking to himself

 _Is it a good or bad thing I said something to her? Not that I don't love this, but for the rest of our relationship, she'll never give into the thought of weakness. Not even as a joke. Then again, I'm the one who said I missed her rough side? Maybe neither of us knows what we want. It hasn't even been a full twenty four hours, and my mind is already rushing with questions._

As she let go of his tongue, she began to kiss his chest. He laid there finding it a bit odd that she hadn't begun to remove anything from herself. "So, is it just me, who gets to be stripped down?" he asked as she lifted her head back up with an intensive stare "Hey! Who's in charge here?"

She was so complexing. One minute she was sensitive because she thought he didn't want her to be aggressive, now here she was being aggressive all because she felt challenged.

Tired of hanging over the bed, she picked his legs up to turn him over and laid his head on the pillow. She sat up to then take her own shirt off as she watched his cheeks turn pink. "What's wrong? I thought you wanted me to be in charge." she smirked as he continued to look at her.

"Earth to Arnold? Say something!" she exclaimed, leaning towards him. "I'm just waiting for your next move. Will it be aggressive or sensitive? You seem to have a way of changing things. I don't know if it's me that does it to you, or something you decide on your own. Either way, it's interesting." he replied as her eyes widened.

 _Doi! Of course you're the reason I act the way I do when I do! It's not like you're anymore sure of what pleases you than I am!_

She thought to herself, as she turned away a moment. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt your 'showing me how it's done' challenge." he laughed, as she turned back to face him.

"You should be sorry!" she exclaimed as she pulled off his underwear. Placing the condom on for him, she began to run her hand up and down it. Chills were sent throughout his body as he let out a deep breath. Continuing to rub him with one hand, she reached across his naked body to pull his head up with the other. Pressing her lips against his, she began to massage his tongue with hers as she did his member with her hand. She could feel him trying to pull away to say something, but wouldn't allow it. He wanted aggressive, he was going to get it. She began to wrap her tongue around his, making it impossible for him to move it. As she did this, she removed her hand from his lower part to place firmly on his chest. She dug her nails into his skin, as the two began to moan. She didn't want to give him the satisfaction of resting his tongue, but even she needed a breath.

"So, what were you trying to say before?" she smirked, as he panted heavily. His heart pounding as they both felt her moving up and down by his heavily breathing chest, he replied "I was just wondering if you were ever going to take your pants off?"

Letting go of his chest, she sat up. "Easy there headboy! I haven't even taken my bra off." she pointed out, as she began to do so. It was hard for Arnold to lay there and witness that. As much as he loved her dominance and passion, he wanted to be the one to do it for her. Watching her do it herself was almost like watching another person do it for her rather than him. She could see him begin to struggle as she laid her bare chest against his. "Is this any better?" she asked.

Sweat began to form on his face as the rest of him began to shake. "I...I guess so." She began sucking on his neck as she ran her fingers slowly up and down his sides. "This is torture" he finally said, as she lifted her head up and grinned. "That was all I needed to hear."

She sat up to get off the bed. Arnold turned with his heart pounding to see her taking her pants and underwear off. She then sat down on top of him, their lower parts together, as she looked into his eyes. "Now that I said you're basically number one, are you going to untie me?" he asked as she raised part of her eyebrow. "Pttss...what do you think?"

Shoving him further inside her, she rubbed as hard as she could. Leaning down to squeeze his shoulders tight as she twisted her tongue around his. Pressing their noses together, she could feel his heavy breathing against her own. They were so lost in each other, nothing could interrupt their thoughts.

 _Downstairs_

Miles, Stella, Phil and Pookey were all sitting in the kitchen eating sandwiches when they heard a knock at the door. "I'll get it." Phil offered, having been the first one to finish his sandwich. He opened the door to see Gerald and Phoebe standing outside.

"Hey kids, what brings you here?" Phil asked as Gerald gave a questioning look. "Arnold said he and Helga were coming to meet us at my place. It's been about an hour and we still haven't heard from them though."

"Hmmm? Well I know they're still here. They must not be finished packing for their trip. You can go up and see if you like." Phil offered as the two kids went inside and up the stairs. "I hope everything's okay?" Phoebe said curiously as Gerald added "You know how distracted those two get. I'm sure they're fine."

 _Mmm...Mmmm...Ohhh...Ooohhh...Mmmm_

Gerald and Phoebe looked at each other, as they heard strange noises coming from the end of the hall. "What do you suppose it is Gerald?" she asked as he didn't hesitate to open Arnold's door.

There he saw his best friend tied with his hands behind his back and what used to be his best friend's worst enemy on top of him. The faster Helga rubbed him, the harder he moaned. He laid there shaking, ready to burst from the anticipation of wanting to wrap his arms around her. As Helga released their lips, their eyes stayed focused on each other. Arnold, while meaning to whisper, couldn't control his pants. "Please untie me, so I can hold you!"

Gerald's jaw dropped at these words. He knew his friend was married now, but still had a hard time witnessing this. Phoebe, while having been behind him this entire time, stepped closer to see what was so antagonizing. Immediately, she covered his eyes and pulled him outside. Trying to shut the door as quietly as possible.

The two stood at the bottom of the steps at the moment as Gerald finally found his words. "I'm not sure I can ever unsee that!"

Phoebe began to smile as she replied "You know they love each other Gerald."

Shaking his head, he looked back at the door "Mm...mm...mmm. I don't know what's crazier. The idea of her doing that to him, or the fact that he's enjoying it!"

"Well, what should we do? I don't want to interrupt their time together." Phoebe thought out loud.

"I'm sure as heck not going to be the one to interrupt them!" Gerald exclaimed as Phoebe smiled "Perhaps we should just go back to your place and let them contact us when they feel like it."

"IF they feel like it. They were hittin' it pretty hard in there!" Gerald pointed out as Phoebe lead him out the boarding house.

 _Back in the Bedroom_

" _Ooohh...ooohhh…._ Please untie me!" he begged as she gave him an evil smile. "Hey, if I recall correctly, you're the one who made up this game. I'm starting to enjoy it."

"Very funny Helga!" He panted loudly as she traced her finger up and down his chest. Laying her head down on him a moment she reached her hands behind his back. "I guess I've made my point." she replied as he felt his hands being released.

Immediately, he wrapped his arms around her. Flipping their positions, he grinned "Now it's my turn!" She rolled her eyes as she replied "Good luck, you're having enough trouble breathing as it is hairboy!"

Knowing she was right, he wasn't willing to dignify that with a response. Instead, he simply pressed his lips softly against hers, running his fingers through her hair. Sucking her tongue gently, he began to massage her breasts. The two let out deep, exhausting sighs through their noses. While his member stayed inside her, neither of them felt energized enough to move.

Out of strength, he let go of her tongue, and continued to lay on top of her, their lips pressed together, with his arms wrapped around her. Having her arms at her sides, she tried to turn her head to say "We forgot about Phoebe and Gerald!"

Arnold would have jumped from fear had he not been so exhausted. Instead, he lifted his head and replied "I'll just text and say something came up."

"Like, you being taken advantage of?" she smirked, as he tried lifting himself off her. "Whatever you say Helga."

"Hey Gerald, sorry we lost track of time. Something came up."

"Yeah, I know."

"You did?"

"I mean, don't worry about it."

"Are you sure?"

"It's cool man."

"Okay, thanks."

"Later."

Setting his phone aside, Helga had just finished getting dressed. "So, how upset was he?"

"Not at all. It's almost like he knew we weren't going to come?" Arnold said, wondering what Gerald could have meant by _Yeah, I know._

"Hmm...well, we can do something now if he wants to?" she suggested. "I guess I could see if we could still come over." he replied.

"Alright, I'll be downstairs. I need some water after that workout." she replied.

Going into the kitchen, Helga poured herself some water, just as Phil was entering. "Hey shortman's wife. How goes the packing?" Phil asked, as Helga rubbed her neck. "Oh fine. Just fine."

Arnold then entered the room to say, "He said it's fine if we still go over there." Phil couldn't help but ask. "Who said what about you going where?"

"Gerald said Helga and I could go to his place." Arnold replied as Phil rubbed his chin. "That's funny. The kid was just here a few minutes ago."

Arnold and Helga's eyes widened as Arnold replied "What are you talking about?"

"He and a little asian girl knocked on the door lookin' for you, so I sent 'em upstairs to your room!" Phil explained.

Helga nearly fell over as Arnold turned beet red. "Did they say anything on the way down?" he asked as Phil replied "No, but come to think of it, they did leave in an awful big hurry."

Helga set her glass down, as she felt her arm shaking heavily. Arnold smacked his face with his hand _We have GOT to start locking the door!_

"Alright, thanks grandpa." he said, as the two left for their best friend's house. Not sure it was such a good idea anymore.

"See ya shortman!" Phil waved to the two newlyweds as they hurried out the door. Helga looked for a rock to kick on the sidewalk as she scowled "I cannot believe he saw us! I don't know what's worse? Our best friend's seeing me take advantage of you or your lame-o cousin taking advantage of me!"

Arnold took her hand as he replied "Come on Helga, it's just Gerald and Phoebe. Besides, we're married now. It's not like people don't expect that from married couples."

Sighing deeply, she replied "Yeah, yeah, let's just go. The sooner we face them, the sooner we can pretend this never happened."

 _Gerald's House_

"Man! I don't know what I'm going to do when those two get here?" Gerald exclaimed as Phoebe couldn't help but roll her eyes. "You've seen them express their feelings in the cafeteria Gerald. It's really not that big a deal."

"Have I ever enjoyed it though?" he countered as they suddenly heard a knock at the door. "That must be them."

Opening it, he saw Arnold with his hands behind his back, having trouble making eye contact, and Helga looking away with her arms crossed. "Hey Gerald." Arnold greeted him, as Gerald invited him in.

Helga immediately went to find Phoebe, hoping she wouldn't have to worry about her best friend giving her any grief over the situation.

"Hello Helga!" Phoebe greeted her, as the two sat together on the couch.

"Hey Pheebs, how's it goin'?" she asked, trying to keep a calm attitude.

"Quite well. I never got a chance to thank you for the bouquet when we were on the bus." she replied, as Helga began to smile. "Don't mention it Pheebs. It's the least I could do."

Gerald and Arnold then entered the room, as the two decided to keep a safe distance from the girls on the couch. Arnold saw the nervous look in Gerald's eyes and could no longer deal with the silence. "Alright Gerald, we know you saw us. You can relax."

Clenching her fists, Helga butted in "Hey! Who said you could bring that up headboy?!"

"Helga, this is stupid. We're married, they know how long we've been together, they know we've had sex already…" Arnold began as Gerald interrupted "Yeah, but the way you two were doing it! I mean, you with your hands tied behind your back while she was just riding you like some kind of a pony? It was just so...aggressive!"

Arnold blushed heavily as Helga gave him a look _That's checkmate, football head!_

"Alright Gerald. You've made your point. Let's just forget about it." Arnold insisted as Gerald shook his head. "I'll try man, but I'm not making any promises."

Helga rolled her eyes and crossed her arms as she laid back on the couch. "Whatever. So are we celebrating, or was what you saw just too much of a mood killer for you?"

"Gerald and I thought it might be fun to visit the rainforest exhibit your parents are always talking about, since we won't be joining you in San Lorenzo this time." Phoebe suggested as Arnold smiled. "Sounds like fun! Let's go!"

The four of them then headed out the door for the Botanical Gardens. Arnold and Helga walked and in hand as Gerald and Phoebe walked slowly behind them. "I remember when the first day of sixth grade started. I came running downstairs, thinking it was all a dream that I had found my parents. Then when they came out of the kitchen, they suggested we go see this exhibit." Arnold explained as Helga shook her head "If that trip was a dream, someone owes me big for that video I made of you!"

Listening in on their conversation, Gerald said to Phoebe "Now that I'm reminded of all that footage she had of Arnold, I'm leaning on her being more obsessive than aggressive."

The four then made it to the exhibit. Outside the saw a sign the read "Rainforest Adventure" with an information direction page.

To the right showed the rainforest currently being saved. North showed saved acres of the Atlantic. South showed lost acres of the Atlantic. To the left was survivals of rainforest in Argentina.

Walking through those paths, being surrounded by those trees, reminded each kid of the long hike they took to what they thought would be a safe habitat by who they thought was Eduardo. Hiking through muddy trails and bug infested rivers, topped off with heated temperatures to what felt like the sun itself.

In the exhibit they saw all types of animals. Snakes, parrots, monkeys, frogs, fish. As Helga looked around, she said "Too bad Curly isn't here. This place is a zoo crying out for help."

"Rainforests are quite helpful to animals Helga, as well as educational for those interested in learning about the environment." Phoebe pointed out as the four of them continued to look around.

"Look over there man!" Gerald pointed out, as the group turned their attention to a giant turtle. "So, it's a turtle? Big deal!" Helga exclaimed as Arnold said "It looks just like Lockjaw."

"Man, what is it with you and sea creatures? I swear, when we have a kid, you're not taking him to the aquarium!" Helga scowled, not realizing what she had just said. The group turned their heads towards her as her eyes began to widen. Arnold smiled, reaching his hand out for hers, as she began to cross her arms. "Don't get so cozy, buster!"

Wrapping his arm around hers to pull her in closer, he said loud enough for them to hear "I think it's a little late for that demand."

She began to blush furiously as Gerald could feel a knot forming in his stomach. "Man, I'm sorry I pointed anything out."

After a few hours of searching around. Viewing the different plants and walkways, the group decided to head out.

"Would you two like to get something to eat?" Phoebe asked, assuming Gerald would be okay with it. Arnold looked at Helga as he replied "Thanks, but we never started packing earlier. We need to make sure our stuff is ready in the morning."

The two then hugged their friends goodbye, as they headed back to the boarding house. "Now that I think about it, we haven't eaten all day. You must be hungry?" Arnold asked, regretting his decision.

"Eh, we can find something at home. I can just have some cereal or a sandwich." Helga said, shrugging her shoulders.

Arnold rolled his eyes at her sad remark as he replied, "You are not having cereal. I'll make you something. Better yet, my parents probably saved us some dinner."

Helga began to blush at his caring personality. Their hands swung back and forth together, until she broke the silence "I didn't hurt you did I?"

"What are you talking about?" he asked, looking at her confusingly.

"Gerald said he could tell how aggressive I was being with you. I was just trying to enjoy my time with you. Now that I think about it, I may have taken things too far. I mean crimity, you were begging me to let you go." she replied as he gripped her hand tighter.

"I was just enjoying myself so much, I wanted to return the favor on you. It was as if the passion you have inside you was passed on to me, but I wasn't allowed to show it, all because I was tied down. It was like there was an animal inside me, begging to be released, but the key was missing." Arnold tried to explain, as Helga knew what he meant.

"I understand. I felt the same way when I was tied up...at first. There were times when I was willing to let myself be vulnerable to you." she explained as she felt herself begin to blush.

Before they knew it, they were back at the boarding house. Remembering to stand back this time, they watched the animals pour out the door. "None of those things are living in our apartment football head!" she exclaimed.

"Except for Abner." he countered.

"Which one is he?" she asked as the two walked into the kitchen. "The pig." he said bluntly as she scoffed "Of course."

Arnold began rummaging through the fridge as Helga took a seat at the table. "I can heat us up some of these leftover noodles?" he suggested as Helga shrugged her shoulders "Works for me."

After a few minutes in the microwave, Arnold grabbed a couple of forks and some sodas to go with their pasta. Helga loved seeing something other than cereal in her dinner bowl every night. "Thanks football head!" she exclaimed, shoveling her food down as usual.

"No problem. So what did you think of the exhibit?" he asked as she took a sip of her soda. "Kind of hard to be impressed with something like that after already seeing the real thing."

Arnold nodded his head, seeing her point. "Yeah, it definitely wasn't the same thing." Slurping her last noodle, she replied "Seeing as how there was no ship to wreck, La Sombra to avoid, or Green Eyes to save, I should say not."

The two of them took their bowls to the sink, as they headed upstairs. After a moment of listening to the creaks in the floor going down the hallway, Arnold said "I can't believe we didn't hear them walk in on us?"

Helga scratched the back of her head as she sighed "Well we were pretty into it. You wanted to be untied and I was just thinking about proving I wasn't all talk. The last thing either of us was thinking about was expecting company."

Letting out a small laugh, he took her hand. "Were you serious about having kids? Actually choosing to have one as opposed to accidently."

"I don't know. Maybe one day. We've got quite a few years to think about that though." she pointed out, hoping that would take his mind off the subject.

"Yeah you're right." he replied, as the two entered his bedroom.

Helga began to search for her bag as she said "Well, guess I'll check my bag; make sure I've got everything I need for the trip. We did get a bit 'distracted' last time, thanks to you!"

Taking her hand in his, his began to caress it. Looking into her eyes, he said softly "I'm really excited about this. It means a lot to me that we're going...and that I have someone to 'aggressive' there to protect me."

Rolling her eyes at him, she replied "Oh shut up Arn…" but was interrupted by his soft sweet lips. Laying on top of her, he put both hands around her face, gently wiping her tongue with his from side to side. She began to hold his arms, tempted to start another battle with him. The way he was touching her, holding her face, tickling her tongue, breathing softly onto her through his nose, was all just so relaxing. Releasing their lips, slow enough to hear a smacking sound, he added "I needed someone like that last time. You're the perfect partner...and not just for this trip."

She swooned as he gave her another quick kiss on the lips. "We should get ready for bed. Big day tomorrow!" he said, anxiously helping her up. Helga changed into her nightgown, as she saw Arnold holding the condoms. "Do you think the Green Eyes know what these are?" he asked jokingly.

"Ummm I don't think those people even know what sex is. Their village probably lives on through reincarnation!" she scowled as Arnold set the box down.

"I don't know. You seemed to think otherwise when you saw the lead girl holding my hand on our last trip there." he reminded her, with half-lidded eyes.

Climbing into bed, under the covers, she scowled "Hey! I was doing you a favor bucko! She could have had some sort of creepy green village disease!"

Rolling his eyes, he crawled in beside her, as he grabbed his remote to turn out the lights. "Whatever you say Helga. Good night."


	49. Chapter 49

Chapter 49: You're Mine To Take Care Of

"Hey Arnold! Hey Arnold! Hey Arnold!" The next morning, Arnold reached over, to shut off the alarm, thinking to himself _When we move out, the alarm stays on MY side of the bed!_

Arnold shook his wife to wake up harder than he normally would have. "Hey Helga! Wake up! We don't want to miss our flight!"

Pulling the covers closer to her face, she mumbled, "It's a PRIVATE plane. I don't think they'll leave without us headboy!"

Yanking the covers off her, he replied "Whatever, just get up!"

Normally, she wouldn't let him get away with such a hostile gesture. However, the both of them knew it was a special day, so she was willing to overlook it. Sitting up to rub her eyes, Arnold threw her clothes at her "Sheesh Arnoldo! Where's the fire?"

"I'm sorry. I'm just excited." he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. "This means a lot to me." he smiled, continuing to set her things beside her.

As the two of them changed their clothes, Arnold turned around to see Helga dressed just as she had been on their grade school field trip. Seeing him gaze at her with half-lidded eyes, she raised part of her eyebrow. "What are you staring at?"

He shook his head, realizing the moment he had been caught up in. "Oh umm, I was just thinking you look really nice." he blushed as she continued to give him a questioning look. "I'm wearing leather boots and khaki shorts?"

Walking up to her, he put a hand to her face as he replied "You look great no matter what!" She began to give a love sick sigh, as he continued to change. Normally, she'd go downstairs the moment she was through changing, but felt like sitting back down a moment. Even it they'd be there less than two days, she knew it wouldn't be an easy trip.

When Arnold was finished changing into his blue t-shirt and red shorts, he turned to ask, "Ready to go?" She stood up to grab their things as she replied "Yeah. You don't look so bad yourself, bucko."

On the way out the door, Helga noticed Arnold had left his dad's journal out. "Might want to take this. Unless there's some sort of weird tracking device inside of it too!" she pointed out.

Grabbing it from her, he replied "I forgot I took it out of my bag for a minute to look at it last night. I just wanted to go over the map as much as I could. That way, we wouldn't be wasting our time stopping every five minutes to figure out where we are."

"Hmmm and looking at some picture in a book for five minutes is really enough to help you memorize the whereabouts of an entire jungle?" she asked wittingly as he rolled his eyes.

"Whatever you say, Helga. Let's go get some breakfast." he insisted, leading her downstairs.

No one was up already. "Weird? It's 4:15. By now your grandma should be prancing around the kitchen like some cowgirl!" Helga said sarcastically as Arnold glared. "Helga, no one in my family gets up this early. I'll make us some scrambled eggs and toast."

As he was about to offer to let her help, he saw her shut her eyes, resting her head in her hand on the table. _Maybe we could take a cooking class together this summer._

When the eggs and toast were finished, he placed their plates on the table. Helga awoke to the sweet aroma of food being placed in front of her. "I see you're awake now." Arnold laughed as Helga scowled at him. "Oh, shut up and eat!" Shaking his head, he replied "If you intend on being mayor, then eventually president, you may want to work on being a morning person."

Pointing her fork at his half-lidded eyes, she scowled "Hey! If I'm in a high ranking office position, I can tell the country to act however I want them to at whatever time I want them to!"

Arnold shook his head at her witty comeback, taking their plates to the sink. It was about 4:30 by that point. "Come on, we better get going." he insisted, as she slowly stood up to grab their things. "Should we bring Nadine to keep the bugs off us, or Eugene to bounce across high walls, or Pheebs in case we get captured?" Helga suggested as Arnold went searching through his bag.

"No, but that reminds me. I was going to give this to you when we got to the Green Eyed village, but you know I'm no better at secrets than I am at lying." he said, as he pulled a picture he had printed out of his bag.

Helga looked at it, using every bit of her rough side not to cry. It was a picture Arnold had taken of he saw Helga hugging Phoebe as she was giving her the bouquet.

"I was so excited about our trip last night, it didn't take long for me to get out of bed. I sent the picture from my phone to the computer. Then I found a frame in one of the junk drawers in the basement." Arnold explained.

Hard as she tried to fight it, Helga's lips began to quiver. Arnold leaned in to kiss her, as he felt a tear fall from her face. Wiping it with his thumb, he continued to hold her face in his hands. Bringing their noses together, he whispered "I love you. I'm so happy we're together."

Knowing she hated to cry, he decided to let go of her then and grab their things. The two walked out the door, as they headed for the car. Once they got inside, Arnold immediately reached for her hand, as he saw Helga still looking at the photo. "Are you okay?" he asked.

She looked over at him, her lips quivering, her voice shaking, as she replied "If it hadn't have been for Pheebs, we might not be together. I lost faith so many times, because of how different you and I are. Not to mention how complicated my stubbornness about not being able to change made things for us."

Arnold began to rub her hand, as he said softly "We also found out how alike we are. You're rough Helga, but you do it just so you can help people. You care about people just as much, if not more, than I do. When you sense someone is in trouble, you put them ahead of yourself. We both do."

Helga wanted so badly to hold him, but knew they'd never make it to San Lorenzo if they pulled over for another, what was no longer considered to be 'heat of the moment' activity.

When they arrived at the airport, they saw the plane Helga's family had prepared for them. Walking over to it, the pilot was already outside and waiting for them. Both Helga and Arnold were shaking with anticipation. They wouldn't be traveling with thirteen other people during this trip.

"Hey, we're Arnold and Helga. You must be the pilot for the plane Mr. Pataki set up for us?" Arnold asked excitedly.

"Yes, he told me all about your trip. This will be a nine hour flight like your last trip. I'm not looking to spend the night there. I will fly back after I drop you kids off. Then I will be back here tomorrow at 10:00 pm to take you home." he explained as Arnold anxiously replied, "Sounds great!"

"Let's get going!" the pilot insisted as the kids grabbed their things. Helga could see how excited Arnold was to return to the place he had been reunited with his parents. She was just happy to see him happy.

Arnold grabbed her hand and anxiously dragged her up the steps, not thinking about how tight his grip was on her. "Sheesh Arnoldo! Save the tough attitude for when we get there!" she exclaimed.

Sitting beside her at the window, he replied "Sorry Helga, I'm just re…" he began as she interrupted. "Really excited. Yeah, yeah. I get it hairboy!" as she crossed her arms and glared at him.

Trying to break the tension, he replied "So, what was your favorite part of our last trip here?"

Helga's eyes widened as she uncrossed her arms. She reached for her shirt to yank on, forgetting she was wearing a tank top. "Uhh what do you mean?"

Shrugging his shoulders, he repeated himself. "I mean, what was your favorite part of the trip? The boat ride, the hike, the village?"

"Pttss...it all ended badly! We were attacked on the boat. We almost died of heat stroke on the hike! Then, we could not comprehend a freakin' word any those kids said to us in that village, other than your glorious name! Sheesh!" she exclaimed, hoping he would drop it.

Sensing her tension had turned to fear, he took her hand in his. She looked down as she felt him begin to caress it. "I think we both know it didn't actually END badly." he insisted as she gulped.

"I felt something in my heart I didn't know I could. I had always heard people talk about romantic feelings they had for one another. While I liked other girls in our class, I knew it couldn't have been anything like what I had heard adults speaking of. Then, I saw your locket. You gave it to me to use to help my parents. Just like you said on the boat, I wouldn't have even been there without you! I knew then that everything you told me was true. You may act like you don't care, but it's just a cover."

Keeping his fingers laced with hers, he leaned over to kiss her. Feeling her body tremble, he began to rub her shoulder with his free arm, as he wrapped it around her back. Sucking her tongue, he thought about how different this trip would be. Instead of feeling petrified of her feelings for him, he'd be embracing them on the boat. Enjoying the hike, rather than feeling as though they should give up hope. Happy to see the Green Eyes just as a good memory, rather than them being their last chance for a happy ending.

Arnold could feel her body no longer trembling as she tried to wrap her other arm around his waist. Sensing her struggling, he pulled up the armrest, unbuckling himself to be closer to her. Wrapping his tongue around hers, he pulled her in closer, as the two fell back against the wall of the plane. They tilted their heads, noses shoved against one anothers, as they could both feel the other let out a deep sigh.

Helga began to moan softly, as Arnold began to pull her in tighter, pressing their parts together. When he finally released her tongue, she kept her head against his, as she whispered "What if he senses something?"

Pressing his lips against hers, Arnold replied "That's his problem." Helga tried not to laugh at his attempt to be the bad one. Even if she wanted to however, his tongue was once again inside of her. Their making out session just wasn't enough for him. Arnold wrapped his left leg around Helga's right leg, and began to press and rub their parts together as hard as possible. While Helga couldn't say she didn't love the idea of being in his arms, her insecure side was coming about. They were making out with a stranger only a few feet away from them. Whether he was able to see them or not, the fact that he was still there made her uncomfortable.

Arnold could feel her shaking again, as he began to slow down. Releasing her lips, he asked "Is everything okay?" She continued to look down at him as she replied "Kissing is one thing. Being this intimate with him around is a little much."

Although it was a perfect opportunity to brag about being the aggressive one, he wasn't going to do anything to make her feel uncomfortable. The two of them then sat up, hoping to enjoy the view for a bit. They still had eight hours remaining on their flight. Arnold began to feel a bit tired. After all, he hadn't slept much the night before. Helga pulled him over to rest his head on her shoulder awhile. It didn't take long for him to pass out however. As she noticed his sleeping peacefully on her, she began to softly rub his shoulder; looking over him out the window.

 _I no longer have to fantasize about traveling with you my love. I finally have you within my grasp!_

About an hour later, Arnold woke up. Helga smiled as she watched him rub his sweet eyes. Yawning at her, he asked "Are we almost there?" She couldn't help but laugh at the question as she replied "In your dreams, football head!"

Feeling him once again rest his head on her shoulder relit a burning sensation inside of her. The love she again was reminded of that he felt for her made her heart pound with as much excitement as there was fear. Arnold couldn't help but feel her shoulder moving quickly up and down, as he lifted his head up to ask "Is everything okay?" The moment he looked up, she dragged him to the back of the plane.

Throwing him on the long attached seats, she jumped on top of him. Her eyes screaming with thirst more to finish what they had started. Arnold laid under her with fear in his eyes, thinking to himself _I'll never understand her?_

Pressing him down hard against the seats, she leaned close to his face. "If I'm you're jungle guide, It was stupid of me to be afraid of some dump pilot."

Smiling at her witty remark, although still not understanding her sudden mood shifts, he replied "Yeah, I gue…" Not having a chance to reply, she shoved their lips firmly together. Arnold kept his eyes wide a moment. Even after years of experiencing her dominant behavior, it still took him by surprise. Slowly shutting them, he thought to himself _Although I'll never understand her split personality, not knowing what to expect from her IS a bit of a turn on._

Arnold began to feel as he did the previous night. Passion building up inside of him, a desire to express his own intense feelings. Yet, she had his shoulders forcefully pinned against the seats. Making it impossible for him to do so. _I can't just roll us over, we'll slam our heads on the floor?_

The most he could do was bring his lower arms to hers, rubbing her elbows. Although it wasn't much, he knew just about any touch from him was enough to make her melt inside.

Separating their lips, she looked down at him with her angry eyes. Squeezing his arms tighter, ignoring the fact that he was carressign hers, he replied "Yeah, what kind of chaperone ARE you?" She slammed her lips against his once again, as she began to feel his widening from the side; his chest moving her up and down. "What's so funny, dingus?" Glaring at his red face, waiting for a response, she finally heard "I just knew that would make you mad. It was worth it though."

She scoffed, holding back the thousands of witty comebacks she had for his 'bold' remark. Deciding to shut him up by shoving her tongue down his throat and leaving it there. Not moving it around, but rather, seeing how long it would take him to lose his breath. What with her nose pressed so firmly against his, their chests squeezed so tightly together, they could feel one another's hearts pounding. She made a quick move to remove her hands from his shoulders and wrap them around his back.

She could feel their hearts pounding as her tongue rested down the back of his throat. Arnold was beginning to experience the fear of being caught she had experienced earlier, what with having no way of moving. Not wanting to kill her protectant, she slowly removed her tongue from his throat. "Now, what were you saying about me not being the best chaperone?" she asked, keeping her nose pressed against his.

"Uhh...nevermind." he replied as she pecked him on the lips. "That's what I thought." Arnold wasn't sure how good of a thing it was that every time one of them took control, the other felt nervous. Perhaps that was just how it was supposed to be. That was just where the thrill of this activity came from. He wasn't like the other kids he had grown up with. He had always been modest or as Helga referred to him, 'Mr. Goody Two Shoes.'

"Please let me up. It's my turn to be the aggressive one." he insisted, as she couldn't help but laugh at his pathetic request. "Pttss...Hey! I'm just giving you what you asked for headboy! Now lye still while I finish what we started!" she insisted as she began to notice him sealing his lips.

"Umm...it's kind of hard to be aggressive when you're not letting me in?!" she exclaimed. Arnold tried as hard as he could to sit up. "I just thought of something. Growing up, you said what you love most about me is how sensitive I am. Now that I've no choice being that way, you don't seem to have a problem with being aggressive. Much like in school. You hated letting me act proud to be with you. You always had to be on top of things." As he went on, Helga butted in.

"What do you mean you're JUST now realizing it? All we've been talking about is my inability to be vulnerable!" she exclaimed as he replied "Yeah, I guess you're right. You're just so...complexing. It's hard to figure out what will and won't upset you." She began to sit up, looking upset, twiddling her thumbs with shame. Not looking over, she felt herself being pushed over. "Hey! What the?!" she exclaimed, as he laid on top of her, pinning her arms down, smiling with half lidded eyes. "Sorry, I had to get you off of me somehow. I had a feeling that would work." he couldn't help but chuckle as she glared at him.

"Why you little!" she scowled as he pressed his lips firmly against hers. Although he made it clear he was just trying to win the battle, she couldn't help but think about his words. Feeling her begin to speak, he removed his lips. "What's wrong?" he asked, as he saw her lips begin to quiver. "Are you really okay with my split personality? I know we've talked about it before, but like I said, it may never change."

Smiling at her, he replied. "Some things about people never change. If you love them though, you're willing to accept that about them." Arnold could feel himself moving up and down as she began to breathe harder. "Is there anything about ME you're not okay with?" he asked as her eyes widened. Pinned down, with her arms over her head, their fingers laced, she breathed heavily. Looking into his eyes, she thought _How could he ask such a thing?_

"Uhhh...uhhh. Not that I know of?" she replied as he bent down to softly kiss her lips. Leaving them to rest on hers, he asked "Not that I'm a goody two shoes, or that I'm so sensitive, or that I always put others before myself?"

Her heart melted as he began to kiss her neck. "No?" Looking back up at her, he asked "I must be perfect then. Tell me, which of my perfect qualities lured you to me all these years?"

Her knees began to shake under him. _Thank goodness we're not standing! Why is he doing this? He knows how I feel about him?_

"Well…" she began, as he waited for an answer. Drawing closer to her face, he rubbed their noses together. "Well...what?" he asked.

"I suppose it's the way you always feel the need to put other people before yourself." she finally found the courage to say.

Arnold looked up, trying not to grin too widely. "But that would mean I don't always think about what 'I' want? You told me to do things for myself when we came home from the rehearsal that night? I must say, Gerald was right. You have always been a complex character...Helga G. Pataki!" Releasing their hands, he took her face in his as he began to kiss her passionately. She wrapped her arms around his neck. Forgetting there was anyone else around them, she began to moan deeply.

Tilting his head to the side, rubbing their noses together, their lips began to open to meet each other's warm wet tongues that had been calling out for one another. Each one screamed for power. Helga, because it was in her nature, Arnold, because he could never let something so wonderful escape him. Tasting the sweet sensation of one another's tongue's as they explored the inside of each other's mouths like a jungle, a question entered Arnold's mind. Helga's soon to be monologuing mind was then interrupted when she felt her beloved slip his tongue away from her grip and out of her mouth.

Giving him a questioning look, she asked "Does this mean I win?" He began to smile as he asked, "Actually, I was just thinking. The few times I have been the leader during these fun moments of ours, have I been pleasing to you?"

Helga didn't even know how to react to that. _What is he talking about? He's the one person, aside from Phoebe, I've ever been willing to share my emotions with. The only person I've been vulnerable to. I married him! How could he ask such a thing?_

"Ummm yeah? What kind of question is that?" she asked, as he continued to hold her. "I just wanted to make sure. I would never want to do something like this if you weren't enjoying it." he replied as she rolled her eyes at him.

"Oh drop the modesty! I know what the one thing is that bothers me about you...it's your guilt!" she scowled as he began to blush.

Knowing she was right, he leaned his head against hers. "You're right. I'm sorry. Let me make it up to you." he said as he began to slide his hands up her tank top. Her eyes widened, not knowing how good of an idea that was. She had so many conflicted emotions. She wanted to be with Arnold, but had to be the aggressive one.

Just before he made it to her chest, they heard "We are about to land in San Lorenzo!" Arnold then sat the two of them up as a bit of relief came over Helga.

He took her hand as the two of them began to catch their breath. "Well, this is it!" he exclaimed, as she nodded her head.

The two exited the plane with the pilot in the same village they had seen during their previous trip. "I will be back here tomorrow night to take you home!" The pilot assured them as they headed for their boat. "Thanks a lot!" Arnold exclaimed.

Heading towards the village, Helga asked "Just one thing. Does this boat know we're getting on it, or did you just assume they'd let us on?" Arnold stopped to consider her point, when suddenly, he was tapped on the shoulder. The two of them turned around to see Eduardo standing in front of them. "Eduardo!" Arnold exclaimed as the two hugged one another.

Helga stood there with her hands on her waist, waiting for La Sombra II to be revealed. "My friends, what brings you back to the village?" Eduardo asked as Arnold anxiously replied "Helga and I just got married. We came to see the Green Eyed Village for our honeymoon. What are you doing back here?"

Eduardo's eyes widened as he replied "You are in luck! I am heading out there to bring more herbs to the children, to prevent the sleeping sickness!"

"Crimity! That city is a death pool! Why don't they just move it somewhere else?" Helga exclaimed.

The two followed Eduardo over to his boat, as they boarded with their bags. "We better not be attacked again!" Helga scowled.

"Well, seeing as how it was Eduardo who confronted us on the river during our last trip, I don't think we have to worry about that happening." Arnold pointed out.

Setting their bags down, Eduardo came up behind them. "Well my friends, we are ready to set sail."

As the three of them sailed across the river, Arnold watched Helga rest her hands against the side of the boat, staring at everything they passed by. "What are you thinking about?"

"How much it would suck to grow up without cars, premium cable, or anything worth living with." she sighed as Arnold rolled his eyes "Whatever you say Helga."

As the two watched the water go by, they were reminded of their morning walk on the beach. Seeing the calm blue water pass, with few noises in the background. Arnold placed his hand on Helga's as he said "I'm really glad we're here." She couldn't help but roll her eyes, having heard that from him already. "Yeah, me too."

Suddenly, they felt a crash. The two nearly fell over the edge of the boat, as Arnold pulled Helga back. He turned his head around to where Eduardo was steering the ship. "What was that?"

"I'm afraid we have fallen into the same wild river rapid we took when battling La Sombra!" Eduardo screamed down to them. Helga sat there glaring up as she scowled "So that means in about ten minutes, our boat will be at the bottom of the river, and we'll once again be hiking our tails throughout this ENTIRE jungle!"

Arnold held onto her tightly, making sure not to let either of them fall overboard. The two of them screamed as the ship passed harsh waves and rapids. Feeling her grip on him loosen as they hit a rough turn, Helga slid across the boat. Arnold raced after her, but wasn't able to catch her before she fell overboard.

"Eduardo! Helga fell off! We have to pull the ship over!" he screamed in fear as Eduardo looked down. "There is no place for that! These rapids are too quick!"

Arnold could no longer see her in the water. If he didn't want to lose her, he had only one choice. Eduardo turned his head just in time to see Arnold jumping off the boat and into the harsh waters. "My friend! No!" he exclaimed.

Using all his strength to swim back up, against the quick waves, he made it to the top. "Helga! Helga! Where are you?"

Suddenly, he heard a scream in the distance. As he was pushed onto a rock by another quick moving wave, he listened for the voice again. "Helga! Helga! Where are you?"

Following the high pitched voice that eventually sounded like his name, he turned his head to see her on the other side of the river. "Arnold! I'm over here!" she exclaimed.

His eyes widened with fear, not knowing what to do. If he let go of the rock, the river would take him. He couldn't just leave her there however. Helga watched the trouble her beloved was in. _I've got to come up with a plan!_

She then spotted a pile of rocks a ways down the river, leading to the other side. Arnold was too close to the water to see where she was going. When he saw her leaving, he was worried she may not return. He laid his head against the rock, hanging in the river, holding on tight against the rapids. _What have I gotten us into?_

Suddenly, he heard "Hey Arnold!" and saw a hand reaching out to him. There Helga was, her clothes wet and dirty, but unharmed, reaching out to help him. It took all her strength to pull him up out of the river, without getting pulled back in herself.

Once making it onto land, Arnold asked. "Are you okay?" Helga was tempted to scowl at him _We're caught in the same death trap position we were in on the first trip here! Does it LOOK like we're okay?!_

"Yeah, I guess so. What do we do now?" she asked, sitting down beside him. "I'm not sure. Although, this does look to be about the same area we crashed the boat last time."

Helga raised part of her brow as she asked, "What's your point?" He turned to look at her, as she sat there ringing the water out of her pigtails. "We could hike to the Green Eyes from here." he suggested, rubbing the back of his neck.

Helga glared at him, clenching her fists as she then scowled "You have GOT to be kidding me?! Arnold! You're not a safari guide, you don't know your way around this place!"

Taking her hand to calm her down, he said softly "Helga, I've looked at that map more than once. I know it was a long hike to La Sombra's village, but it wasn't a difficult trail to follow. If we hike there, I remember how to get to the Green Eyed Village from that point."

"You mean, because of your one day eyeing that drawing your dad made?" she scowled, pulling her legs up to her chest.

"That wasn't the only time I looked at it, Helga. I've had that book since we were nine! Now let's get going." he insisted, holding out his hand for hers. The two began walking as Helga began to shiver from the cold water she had fallen into. Seeing his wife like this, Arnold thought to himself _This was a bad idea. We never should have come!_

The two began their long hike through the jungle. Walking through muddy trails, hopping on rocks over bug infested rivers, climbing steep hills that seemed to be thousands of miles highs.

As Arnold felt worse and worse listening to the continued silence between him and his wife, he heard "I believe that was the mud pile I pushed you into. Ya know, having been so mad that you ran away from my second heartfelt confession to you." she said wittingly, as he began to smile. Taking her hand, he was relieved to hear her voice. "Yeah, thanks for not pushing me into it this time." Rolling her eyes, she replied "Hey, the trip's not over yet bucko!"

As they made it up the last steep hill, they caught a glimpse of the remains of La Sombra's camp. "There it is!" Arnold exclaimed, as Helga placed her hands on her waist "Man this place is a dump! Like it wasn't bad enough to begin with." she replied as the two headed down to it.

"Yeah, well at least we know we're heading in the right direction." Arnold said with his head behind his neck. "No thanks to your friend Eduardo!" she exclaimed.

Arnold sighed as the two continued walking. He wondered if they would eventually run into Eduardo. If he would make it to the Green Eyed Village safely. As he pondered this, they eventually came across a familiar sight.

"It's that waterfall with the secret passage." Helga pointed out, as the two of them followed behind it. "This place is so stupid. Why would those people bother to make a path that leads this far out here, if they were just going to remain hidden? Sheesh!"

Staring straight ahead, Arnold searched for the wall he remembered Helga figuring out how to open. Not watching where he was going, he tripped over a rock. Nearly falling over the edge of the cliff, Helga caught his hand "Arnold!" she screamed as she held onto him. She reached out her other arm for a rock to keep her grip on as Arnold used all his strength to pull himself back up.

"Walk much, football head?" she scowled as he replied "I guess not. Thanks Helga."

She sighed, fluttering her eyes as she remembered the thanks he gave to her for helping him figure out the door to the cave. "Well, here's the door." he said happily as she corrected him "I think you mean the giant eyeball!" Smiling at her with half lidded eyes, he replied "Whatever you say, Helga."

The two then made it two the tiled path they remembered playing hopscotch on, to avoid the booby traps filled with arrows. "So, what exactly is your plan here football head?" Helga asked angrily, as she waited for a response. "I guess we'll have to climb the hill. I don't have the tiles memorized." he admitted as she gave him the _I told you so_ look.

Digging their nails into the hill, the two climbed up the side, hoping not to fall back onto the tiles. "When we make it to the cave, we can just walk over it." Arnold pointed out, as Helga just kept her mind on not falling off the hill. She began to feel her feet slipping, as her stomach rubbed against the dirt. Sweat began to pour from her face as she used her strength to hold on. _Now I know how Gerald felt on the bridge_ She thought to herself.

Making it to the top of the cave, the two were able to walk across. As they hopped over, they were relieved to not have anymore traps to worry about. Although, that didn't mean they weren't filled with pain and exhaustion.

Walking further into the jungle, Arnold saw the tears on Helga's clothes, the scrapes on her arms, the tired look on her face. "I'm so sorry about all of this, Helga."

She turned to look at him, lifting part of her eyebrow. "What are you talking about? We both knew this wasn't going to be some fancy trip to Chez Paris."

"Yeah, but even so. I never meant for it to be this much trouble to get here." he replied, sighing at the ground.

"Don't worry about it football head. We'll feel better when we reach that hidden city." she assured him, as the two made it to the well. "Isn't that the hole hair boy fell down?" she asked.

"I think you're right!" Arnold exclaimed, as the two walked over anxiously. Looking down, he added "I'm ready if you are?"

She reached out her hand for his as they jumped down into the pile of leaves together. Across from them remained the shrine of Arnold they had seen before. As Arnold got out of the leaf pile, he began to help Helga up. "Ouch!" he heard, as he eagerly asked "What is it? What's wrong?"

"I think I twisted my ankle!" she snapped, trying again to walk on it. "Ouch! Crimity!" she exclaimed, setting her hand on Arnold's shoulder. "Don't walk! You're just making it worse."

"Well gee football head. That's a really nice thought, but we're kind of stuck here without a car, boat, or any other way to get home!" she pointed out.

"Helga, just sit down a moment. It won't hurt to relax for five or ten minutes." he insisted as she carefully sat with her back propped against the wall.

Rubbing her leg for her, he asked "So, where does it hurt the most?" She pointed down towards her ankle, as he began to take her boot off for her. "I don't think it's broken." he assumed as she shrugged her shoulders. "Doesn't really matter if I still can't walk on it."

Not knowing what to say, he continued to rub it for her, as he noticed her looking over at the shrine of him. "You like that statue, huh?"

She immediately turned to face him, forgetting about the pain in her ankle. "Don't be ridiculous! Why would you think that?"

"Well, you used to make shrines of me. Plus, you told Gerald it wasn't half bad the last time we were here." he reminded her as she began to feel vulnerable. Once again, he had information on her and she had no way to run away from it. "What's your point?" she asked angrily, as she began to feel a twinge in her leg.

"Nothing, I just think it's cute." he said softly, as his hand moved from her ankle, up to the top of her leg.

"You...You really think so?" she asked nervously, seeing the enticing look forming in his eyes.

"Most definitely." he assured her, as he leaned forward. Still rubbing her ankle, he slid his other arm up her thigh and under her shorts. Scooting closer to her, he began to rub that part of her leg as he whispered "I think everything about you is cute."

The pain began to not be as distracting. It was replaced by a shiver that took over her entire body. As he leaned in closer to kiss her passionately, moving his hand further up her shorts. She began to moan as she pulled him in close, wrapping her arms around his neck. Pulling away from her, he said "Your foot shouldn't be on such a hard surface." Looking at him questionably, she replied "Pttss...you got any suggestions?"

Looking at her with half lidded eyes, he pulled off her khakis. After pulling them off, he folded them up and placed them under her foot. "Feel better?" he asked, leaning in towards her, rubbing her smooth bare legs. "A little." she blushed, knowing he was still giving her that enticing look.

"You know, there's something I never got to finish on the plane." Arnold reminded her. As Helga continued to lean against the brick wall, her eyes widened. He began to slip his hands up her tank top, noticing her arms shake.

"You don't have to be afraid. It's just me Helga." he whispered, pressing his lips against hers. Making a soft smacking noise, he began to wipe her lips with his tongue. Feeling her shake more, he picked her hands up to place inside his. Lacing their fingers together, he leaned forward as far as possible, without falling on her leg. Gently taking his lips off hers, he asked "Are you cold?" Shrugging her shoulders at him, she replied "Eh, not really."

Leaning her forward, he pulled off her tank top. There she sat in her bra and underwear while he remained fully dressed. "So, if the Green Eyes walk in, I'm the only one who gets to be humiliated?" she pointed out, as he replied "I'm just getting you back for the last time you tied me up."

"Hey! I am disabled! That's not fair!" she scowled as he began to unhook her bra. Setting it down beside her clothes, he laid his hands on her breasts. Leaning close to whisper in her ear, he said "I hated watching you do that yourself, yesterday."

Raising part of her eyebrow, she replied "What? Undressing myself? You know I've been doing that since I was 5."

Rubbing her breasts, he continued to explain. "We're married now. It's my job to take care of you. It was like the door was being opened for anyone to grab you from me, while I just laid there and witnessed it." he began to breathe heavily as Helga started to ignore the massage he was giving her.

"Are you giving this poetry thing another shot, because you could really use a few pointers?" she asked wittingly.

Squeezing her tighter than he meant to, he went on "No! Just the idea of you always looking out for the both of us. Me not being able to protect you. Just made me feel so…"

"Vulnerable." she finished for him as he rested his head against hers.

"I guess neither of us knows what we want. I don't like the idea of being aggressive, but I also don't like the idea of my sensitive behavior allowing someone to take you from me. I want you to be proud to show your vulnerable side to the world, but the thought of you with your guard down in any type of threatening situation is petrifying." he explained with his eyes closed, his nose pressed against hers, he began to feel her laughing.

"What's so funny?" he asked, pulling his head up.

"I thought once we were married, all the stress of this emotional crap would be behind us. It just seems to be putting more on you however. I thought of marriage as our love being cemented. Nothing able to come between us. You seem to be looking at it as an even bigger opportunity for someone to win my affections." she smirked as he looked at her with half lidded eyes.

"You're right. I'm sorry. I know that's the last thing it is. Just the thought of losing you tears me up inside." he closed his eyes tightly, trying not to do the same to her breasts.

"Yet, you brought me here? Great way to act out your feelings bucko." Helga couldn't help but say, knowing the guilt trip she'd be sending him on.

Opening his eyes, he looked at her weak smile, and forgiving look. In her face, he saw a message that read _You Complete Me._ How could either of them leave the other?

Rather than responding, he leaned in for a long passionate kiss. He could feel her trembling as he began to squeeze her breasts while sucking her lips. The two began to sigh deeply through their noses as they tilted their heads. _I'll always be there to take care of her. Nothing can hold me back._

She moaned deeply while she placed her hands on his shoulders. As he began to massage her nipples, a tingle went through her body. He could feel her tongue slipping away from his as he noticed her eyes slowly opening. _My beloved WANTS to take care of me. He wants to be the ONLY one to help me. At last I am seen to him as the delicate treasure he has always been to me._

He pulled away a moment to say "Does that make up for the hurt ankle?"

After seeing she couldn't find her words, he put his lips back on hers and continued to rub her. She began to moan loudly. Her arms fell from his shoulders, and onto the floor. After a moment he could sense the heavy pressure from her, and realized his hands against her chest were all that was holding her up.

Taking his lips off, he asked "Helga, are you alright?"

Her lips began to quiver as she tried to reply; realizing what had happened. "Ye...yeah! Why..why wouldn't I be?"

Smiling at her, he moved his hands from her breasts to her shoulders. Sitting her up completely, he replied "I don't know. You seemed a little tired for a moment."

"We just spent the entire day hiking through this freakin' jungle! Of course I'm tired!" she exclaimed, trying to hide her pleasure. It wasn't working however.

He simply smiled and replied "You're right. Let's get you dressed...well mostly." Putting her bra and tank top back on, the two laid there together against the wall. Lacing their fingers together, Arnold laid Helga's head against his shoulder. "Hopefully, your leg will feel better in the morning. We're not that far from the village." he said as she started to fall asleep on him. This was the second night now that Arnold had too much on his mind to sleep.

The next morning, Helga awoke to see her head still resting on Arnold. "Good morning. Did you sleep well?" he asked, seeing her begin to move.

"Better than I expected." she admitted, as she began to look down at her foot. Arnold got up as he held out his hand "Try to stand up. See if it's any better."

Helga got up to find it wasn't as bad as the day before, although she wasn't sure if she'd be able to hike on it. "Maybe if I put my boots on, that would help."

Arnold watched her, when suddenly he saw her looking around the side of him. "What is it?" he asked, as he turned to see a familiar group of worshiping eyes. "It's the Green Eyes!"

Trying to stand, placing her hands on her hips, Helga scowled "They better not have footage of what happened last night!"

"Helga, they can give us a ride to the village!" Arnold exclaimed. Not showing any sign of relief, she scowled, "Fine! But I'M riding in the big chair this time!"

Ready to lift Arnold into the seat, he stopped them to help Helga into it. She gave them an evil glare as the kids all looked confused. Although they let her into it, that didn't stop them from saying "Arnold! Arnold! Arnold!" the entire way!

"Oh give me a break! I think we learned last time that just because he was the only one who could open the corizone thingy, doesn't mean no one else had a piece of merchandise capable of saving you freaks!" she exclaimed during her ride to the city.

Eventually, they made it to the Green Eyed People's village. The children set Helga down in the center of the village as Arnold followed directly behind them. Helping her out of the chair, Arnold said to Helga "I can't believe we're back!"

"Yep, and I'm willing to bet no one has learned English since we've been gone!" Helga said wittingly.

"Don't be so sure." a voice came from behind, as they turned to see Eduardo.

"Eduardo! You made it! Arnold exclaimed, as Helga simply glared at him. "So how'd you escape the rapids?"

"It wasn't easy, but the river starts to gentle down a ways past where I lost you two." he began to explain as Helga butted in. "Oh, so all we had to do was hang on for dear life another three or four miles!"

"Come on Helga, he didn't mean to take that path. The important thing is, we're all safe." Arnold pointed out as they turned to look to the Green Eyes.

Arnold watched Eduardo take the medicine to the village leaders as Helga began to look around. It had been awhile since she had seen the paintings of her loved one and his family. Then she came across the controls for the machine that saved the village...as well as her love life.

When Arnold saw her standing there eyeing it, he went over to see her. Knowing what she must be thinking about, he wasn't sure what to say at first. "How's your leg doing?"

"A-Arnold? I mean, stop creeping up on me football head! Sheesh!" she exclaimed as he shook his head at her.

"Ya know, the last time I did that to you here may have been the one time you simply said 'Hey Arnold' rather than passing out an insulting nickname to go along with it." he laughed.

Helga thought back to that night, thinking to herself _Crimity! Where is he going with this?_

"Yeah? So?" she exclaimed as he took her hand. "So, how's your leg doing?"

"Oh, it's uh fine I guess." she replied, scratching the back of her head. "Good. I'd never forgive myself knowing I picked a place for our honeymoon, and it just ended with you getting hurt."

"Oh please. Another one of your guilt trips. You know that can have the opposite effect on people! And I don't think pity is what these people worship you for!" she exclaimed as he moved in closer.

"Yeah, you're right. I think they had the right person sitting in that chair on the way up here a few hours ago." he said, gazing at her with his signature look. She gulped, looking down, beginning to rub her arm. "I don't know. It was still YOUR name they couldn't stop shouting! Sheesh!"

Pulling her in closer, wrapping his arm around her waist, he replied "Like you said, they haven't learned too much English yet."

"Tell me abo..." she began, but couldn't finish before feeling his wet lips around hers. Her mind instantly flew back to that first night they kissed in that very spot. The night he found himself to have feelings for her. The night he was ready to share them with her. The night her dreams finally came true, as she found all of this to be true. True through one mind altering kiss that was sweet and soft enough to imply their feelings for one another.

As they broke it, they continued looking deep into each other's eyes. "You make my senses all go whacky! I love you, Helga G. Pataki." Arnold laughed as she began to blush uncontrollably. Making sure no one else was around to hear that, she softly replied "I love you too...Arnold!"

The End

 _ **THANKS FOR READING! PLEASE REVIEW!**_


	50. Chapter 50

**Reading this recently (my first fanfiction), I see how unnecessary the excessive romance was that was put into this story (be it pleasurable or not).**

 **My recent Hey Arnold stories as I've moved on over the months have shown how in character everyone stays without the overwhelming amount of loving interactions. After all, it is meant to be a kid's show (no matter what the age they are in the story is).**

 **I suppose my desire to vent these feelings (try not to laugh too hard) wasn't easy while keeping them in character as possible. You can't have your cake and eat it too.**

 **If I offended anyone with this story in any way, I apologize and promise I in no way believe in intimacy before marriage. I'm one of those do gooders that doesn't smoke, drink, get high, do drugs, chew tobacco, etc. Perhaps I should date Arnold lol.**

 **Anyway, thank you for reading. Hopefully, you still enjoyed the story. I would LOVE your reviews if you liked the story. Thank you for your time :)**


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